Great Sand Dunes National Park

2015-09-06 06.08.34

 

The new stove and griddle work great for making pancakes on cold mornings.

2015-09-06 06.08.37

 

My little tent that I have had forever.

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Looking at the sand dunes from the campground.

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The toilet is an old Rio Grande boxcar.

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Big mountains looming over the campground.

 

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The Toyota with its nice new tube bumper hanging out in the campground waiting for us to load up for the day.

2015-09-06 07.53.07

 

Heading back into the park.

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This picture needs more buffalo.

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The last time I was here as a kid, this was still a national monument.

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Dice and a cracked windshield.

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Dunes.

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Misty mountains.

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The turnoff to the primitive road we came over the day before.

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Big dunes are HUGE when you stand next to them.

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MASSIVE dunes.

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Little animal footprints in the sand.

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Beetle tracks!

2015-09-06 09.33.43

 

Wind prints from the grass whipping back and forth.

2015-09-06 09.36.54

 

We didn’t make it to the top of the first ridge.  The sand got too hot for our feet.

 

2015-09-06 09.43.00

 

Heather already came down while I was trying to tough it out in the hot sand a bit longer.

 

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The sand made an odd rumbling noise as I walked down it.

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Who needs doors on their truck anyway?

 

2015-09-06 10.32.20

 

Airing up the tires after playing in the sand.

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Heading away from the dunes.

2015-09-06 11.03.58

 

Wherever you are is the right place to be.

2015-09-06 11.06.33

Dunes.  Dunes everywhere.

 

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One last look back east toward the dunes as we head north toward alligators.

Medano Pass to the Great Sand Dunes

 

2015-09-05 14.11.30

 

On a lovely early September day, we took Medano Pass heading west and south into the back and more remote side of Great Sand Dunes National Park.

 

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The meadows and mountains were absolutely spectacular along this route.

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The aspens were juuuuuust starting to have their leaves fade toward gold.  Fall is approaching quickly in the high country of Colorado.

 

 

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The sand makes the driving more smooth than most mountain pass 4×4 roads in Colorado.

2015-09-05 14.36.58

 

A classic “Don’t be an idiot in the park” sign warning drivers to go slowly through creek crossings.

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Through magical, enchanted woods.

 

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Heading into the first creek crossing.  The water levels were low enough to not give us any concern.

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The afternoon sun made the understory stunning.

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Into the fire scar area.

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Big burn scars in this part of the park.

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Having fun in a creek crossing.

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Entering the national park proper.

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The sand is getting deeper and looser.

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Big dunes on the horizon.

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Another “Don’t be an idiot in the park” sign.

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Mountains of sand.

 

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Going through the last portion of the 4×4 trail, we encountered a Subaru WRX wallowed deep in the sand.  It was too deep for us to extract so we went on to the pavement and found a park ranger.  The park was going to send a truck out to extract the wayward Subaru.  The stuck WRX was past the “Point of No Return” meaning that they could suffer a large fine for not being able to self-extract.