Today "G" and I visited our first National Park, The Great Sand Dunes National Park. It was an amazing day full of awesome sights and only about an hour and a half drive from our campground in La Veta. During the ride, we witnessed more straight roads for mile upon mile. The next time I am in bumper-to-bumper traffic, I will close my eyes and remember the wide open roads of Colorado.
Once there, we were afforded the spectacular sight of sand dunes, which are the highest in North America, in a location where you would think no sand could accumulate! They rise 750 feet above the floor of the San Luis Valley and cover over 30 square miles. In winter, the sand dunes are a stark contrast to the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo (Blood of Christ) Mountains.
The delicately balanced ecosystem lends to a sight you would never imagine so far from an ocean. There are seven insects that are only found in this park. They have evolved from common species, but have adapted to the harsh winds, cold winters and dessert-like summers.
I don't know what happened to the 8th insect...I only captured 7.
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| Welcome Center where we bought our National Park Passport Book |
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Unfortunately, we were not informed that we were supposed
to get the book stamped with the park name and date. |
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| Interesting to reference the plaque below and identify the different formations. |
We attempted a few miles of the Medano Pass Primitive Road, which is a rough 22 mile road that connects the sand dunes with Highway 69. The pass rises to an elevation of 10,040 feet and crosses areas of deep sand, the Medano Creek (9 times), and passes through the habitat of the bighorn sheep. It takes a high-clearance, 4-wheel drive vehicle about 2-3 hours to traverse. We thought Sir Duke could handle it, but we didn't want to decrease our tire pressure (required) and didn't want to take the chance of getting stuck in the deep sand further up the road. Duke did an admirable job on the rocks, hills and sand that he did traverse.
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| It felt like walking in the sand at Jone's Beach, on Long Island, but no ocean at the end. |
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| Colorado's version of "fall splendor," Aspen trees in full glorious gold. |
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| My new screen saver.... |
Deep thought for the day: I noticed that I needed to stop taking pictures and videos because I was missing out on the sights before my eyes.
Beautiful shots. Well, you've got one down and now 58 more National Parks to go. That's gonna be some thick book by the time you're done. Continue living the dream with safe travels and good health.
ReplyDeleteJoaquim is out to sea but heavy rains are still coming later today. Your skies are incredible..enjoy them.
xox
Chas
Have N.P. #2 all planned. Carlsbad Caverns. 😀
DeleteI'm hoping to add a Carlsbad Cavern sticker next. We have been quite fortunate with the clear skies and warm temps during the day. Enjoy your last few days at Croton. Til we meet again....next year! Yikes.
ReplyDeleteSo glad you made the stop! It's an awesome place. We visited Pagosa Springs too. So cool to sit in the hot springs in the river. Enjoy every minute! God bless,
ReplyDeleteRoberta
Unfortunately we didn't make it to Pagosa Springs or Mesa Verde. We are now in Santa Rosa, NM.
DeleteHow exciting your first National Park hope its the first of many. Do you have your Golden Age Passport for the National Parks? You need to come further west here to Oregon.
ReplyDeleteYes. It was quite an adventure. I missed qualifying for the Golden Passport by 2 years.
DeleteI am surely itching to return to Oregon and the beauty it holds, as well as family I haven't seen in about 45 years!