Great Sand Dunes are awesome!

Alamosa, CO

This morning we got up bright and early so we could leave our hotel between 7:30 and 8:00. We had a 3-hour drive to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which ended up being even longer due to some road construction by Fort Garland. We finally arrived around 11:00 a.m. and were amazed as soon as we saw the sand dunes off in the distance, nestled in front of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. They were really big, but grew even bigger the closer we got!

After a quick stop at the visitors' center, we went out to the Dunes. We waded through the warm waters of the Medano river which was at its deepest points 3-4 inches deep, but we enjoyed standing in the sand and letting our feet sink deep into the colder wet sand and water below. The water runs much deeper and faster earlier in May and June, and is now starting to taper off for the lower summer months as most of the snows from the mountains have melted. After wading in the river, we started our big climb! We walked over the dunes, feeling like we were crossing the Sahara with sand as far as the eye could see at times. The dunes are the tallest in North America, and they are really a sight to behold. They are also a bear to climb! After awhile, Linda and Chloe gave up, while Tom, Seth & Leah continued on and made it to the top ridge. A stop at the visitors center completed our trip to the Dunes as we learned more about how amazing they truly are.

We were all ready for a shower, a swim and a soak in the hot tub at our hotel in Alamosa by afternoon, and were even willing to bypass lunch for it. So we checked in, and cooled off and cleaned up. We were all ready for supper early, and decided on Chili's since it was close by and we could all agree on it. All in all it was a great day!