Blogs from Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado, United States, North America

Colorado No photograph could have prepared us for the scale of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. When we arrived just before sunset, the height of the stark, buff-colored, wind-sculpted dunes was emphasized by the flat, scrub open rangeland in the foreground, the deep shadows that sculpted their form, and by the dark blue-green Sangre de Cristo Mountains rising behind them. Storm clouds swirled dramatically around the snow-topped mountains, where snow had fallen earlier in the day. Although there are mountain, woodland and wetland trails in the 30 square miles of dunes, we chose the undesignated trails along the ridges and concavities created by the winds. We wandered into the dunes, a big sandbox where many children, including some teens and adults, run, roll and slide. Our progress was slow as we struggled up ... read more

When I first heard about the Great Sand Dunes National Park, of course I wanted to check it out. Who wouldn't? The largest sand dunes in North America, they rise over 750 feet above the valley. They lie against the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. They're at an elevation of 8200 feet. For once Beth and I actually had two of the same couple of days off, and since that never happens, we were super happy to go camping. It was a four hour drive down to the Sand Dunes, which are located in the southern part of Colorado. We left after work on Sunday night, but after construction and accidents on the highway, we didn't get to the dunes until after 9pm. Since there's only two campsites in the dunes and you can't make reservations in ... read more

Our first stop on the long leg of our trip was to Alamosa, Colorado. The Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad was the first stop, in nearby Antonito. We took the narrow gauge train 64 miles and crossed the Colorado/New Mexico border 11 times in total, finally ending in Chama, New Mexico. The train snaked through the mountains, reaching a peak elevation of 10,022 feet. The narrow gauge designation is given to trains with a rail width of 3 feet, compared to the standard 4'8", a distinct advantage when making the tight turns necessary to traverse such steep terrain. This resulted in a sometimes alarming amount of rocking back and forth of the railcars. The railway was in its heyday back in the 1880s when it was used to transport mining equipment, mineral ore, timber, cattle and ... read more

WAZZZZZ UPPPPP MY PEEPPP$! Brian, Taj, Jazz, Alden,…um…Fiona, Mira,…um.. also Herbert, Anna, & Russel. Any Others? McLovin BlackCherry ChocolateKiss StarShape MILE$ (M.L.) (B.C.) (C.K.) ($.$.) THE End (T.E.) ... read more

If you think you need to travel to the far reaches of Africa to experience sand dunes, you would be mistaken, but certainly not alone. If anything, our travels thus far have firmly cemented the notion that adventure and discovery can indeed take place in your own backyard. After a fantastic evening with our friend Joseph and his girlfriend, exploring bookstores downtown Denver and trying out new "hip" vegetarian dishes (seitan buffalo wings anyone?) we continued south towards Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, a relatively unknown area of geographic interest that only recently achieved national park status. Rising abruptly from the flats of San Luis Valley and tucked against the ridges of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, it is a relief to see them but their size deceives our sense of distance and it ... read more