Sand, Sand, and More Sand!

Now that it is starting to get a bit cooler, it was time to make a day trip to another National Park within our driving area...Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. About an hour and a half south of us, it was an easy day trip.

The Great Sand Dunes are in the San Luis valley, at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. The Dunes are the magnificent centerpiece of a natural system that includes high mountain peaks, sparkling streams (seasonal...not while we were there!), powerful winds and billions of grains of sand. The huge dunes, the highest being approximately 750 feet high, comprise about 11 percent of the enormous sand deposit that covers more than 330 square miles. Most of the sand originated in the San Juan Mountains, 65 miles to the west. Wind and water were the primary movers of the sand, the southwesterly winds beginning the slow process of bouncing the grains towards the low curve of the Sangre de Cristo mountains, where they piled up at the base of the mountains.

First view of the dunes as we drive in on Six Mile Road...actually 16 miles, but who's counting?

For a dry barren area the wildflowers along the roadside were beautiful

I saw this little guy peeking at me from the flowers

After stopping at the Visitor's Center and talking with a ranger, we headed out for High Dunes...those little specks just above the treeline are folks hiking the dunes

We parked in the High Dunes lot, and headed off to do a bit of dune hiking ourselves

This is where Medano Creek flows when there is water. 

The optimum time for photographing the dunes is either sunrise or sunset, not the middle of the day...

the photos still came out ok, I think! This is looking up from where we called it quits, about a third of the way up. Distances were very deceiving, and the sand was starting to bother the pups' paws

you feel very small and insignificant

more ripples

We drove a ways up the primitive road towards the Medano Pass, but could only go to "The Point of No Return" in our big truck...the sand got too soft from that point on. Turning back, we left the park and headed towards Zapata Falls Recreation Area, a few miles south of the park. We drove past a campground in the park that looked like it had awesome views of the dunes, if you could deal with having no hookups..we'll have to remember that for when we're going through the area in the future. We stopped for some food at the only place within 30 miles, The Oasis outside the park entrance. It was pretty good, and we were able to sit outside with the dogs at a picnic table. Some folks sat down right next to us, and after they left I remarked that it was pretty sad that our dogs are more well-behaved in public than some children are :-).

Zapata Falls was an interesting experience. To get to the parking area for the trailhead, you drive over 6 miles of some of the worst washboard road we've been on to date...and that's saying a lot! The trailhead information states that it's 1/4 mile to the falls...more like 1/2 mile, over a rock trail that has a very steep grade. Boy, these better be worth it!

Oh, but wait, it gets better! The trail ends at the creek...in order to see the falls, you have to get IN the creek, and wade upstream to the crevasse that the falls are coming through!

Ok, so here we go...luckily I had read about this, and came prepared with my Crocs...but boy, that water is COLD!

 

We made it to the crevasse...the water is cold, rushing over your feet at a really good pace, and I'm hanging onto the rockwall sides. I should have taken the polarizing filter off the lens, but didn't think about it being dark in there. So the picture isn't as sharp as I would like, but it was really awesome.

Heading back out the entrance to the crevasse...you really don't notice the water, its so clear, but be assured, there is COLD water covering the rocks!

Back into the sunshine..

and back down the trail!

A last view of the Dunes far in the distance

A little geocaching on the way home, and so ends another wonderful day out here in Colorado :-).

Aliens Among Us....?

You do see the most interesting things when you are geo-caching......

just sayin'!

The Triple Crown

No, we haven't traveled to Kentucky, yet....however, we did attend the final leg of the Triple Crown Burro Races, here in Buena Vista. Yes, you read that correctly...burro races :-). Pack burro racing was started by some of Colorado's 19th century miners. The miners used burros to carry their equipment through the Rocky Mountains as they searched for elusive gold, silver and other valuable ores. Since the burros were fully loaded with tools and supplies, the miners had to walk beside them, leading them by a rope. There are two separate legends telling how the rise of racing began. The first one is that two miners found a vein of gold in the same location, and raced each other back to town to be the first to stake a claim to the find. Neither could ride their burro as it was fully loaded, so one of the first rules came about (you can't ride your burro in the race.). The second legend is that burro races started in Leadville, as some drunk miners in a local bar devised an easier method of making money than the back-breaking work of mining the ore.

The burro racing season goes from May to September, and comprises five races in five different mountain towns. The "Triple Crown" races are in Fairplay, Leadville, and finishes in Buena Vista. In May of this year, the Colorado legislature designated pack burro racing as a summer heritage sport in Colorado. Here in Buena Vista the weekend is known as "Gold Rush Days", and there are activities all weekend, and there's vendors, games and food booths in the park all weekend. We decided to go up on Sunday to see the start of the burro races, and check out the fair.

If you had told me a few years ago that I'd be crossing the street with a burro, I would not have believed you!

Packed up and waiting

And they're off...some were running full out right from the start...

some had a slower start :-)

All sizes, big and small. It's a fairly rigorous task, as they are running and leading the burros up and over several passes, for a total of eleven miles...and the winner does it in about an hour and a half!

We checked out gold panning at a demonstration...Karina and Jenna came with us for the day

A prospector came over and showed us how to do the panning...it was very interesting, and the girls came up with a few flakes of gold, along with some copper, quartz, aquamarine and carnelian. 

This puppy was tending his owner's booth!

This was pretty cool...a horse and cactus made out of horse shoes!

Now, there were a few things we needed to take care of....Karina and Jenna haven't been to too many carnivals, and had never experienced a few things....one was gold panning, which we took care of already. We started looking for lunch, and selected the booth that had brisket sliders...good, but very spicy BBQ sauce! They also had "mini funnelcakes"...I asked the girls if they wanted some, and they'd  never had funnel cake before. Ok, we have to correct that! I ordered, and then looked in the bag...never had it come in a bag before...and I said to the guy.."these are zeppolis!" he promptly asked me where I was from, and when I said originally New York, he nods his head :-). He said if he labels them zeppolis, no-one out here knows what they are! So he calls them mini funnel cakes. Too funny. Oh, and the girls approved of them!

Next up on the never-done-before list was bungy jumping.....for the girls!

Jenna goes first, and gets hooked up...

starts bouncing...

way up there....!

the flip....

and back!

Karina is next...doesn't get too much power behind her, so she gets a boost...

that gets her up there! No somersaults from her, though.

The last thing on our list before heading home was some dippin' dots ice cream...we do all enjoy our ice cream :-). Then it was back to the campground for a birthday pot-luck for one of our seasonal folks. We do enjoy our potlucks up here :-). 

We're getting closer to the end of our time here, and still so much to do! Next up for your enjoyment will be our day at Great Sand Dunes National Park, and Zapata Falls. Until then, have a great day!