Last Friday my son and I sat down at the computer and planned a little Colorado Road Trip/Vacation for this summer. Little did we know we would actually be taking the trip so soon, but the wife got some time off from work so here we are. As I do on every little trip we do I’ll try to blog our experiences as we go along.
DAY #1 – Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.
Originally planning to hit the road this morning at 7:00 am we got off on a bit late start leaving about 7:30 and begun the 178 mile, 3 hr trip to The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. It took a bit longer than planned as we had to stop for breakfast and money at an ATM, but we actually arrived only about an hour after we planned.
After we paid our 6 dollar entrance fee we headed to the visitor center to see what there was to be seen. Michael decided to sign up for the Junior Ranger program (.50 donation) so the first item we had to do was watch a short 10 minute video about the park. The we walked a short hike around one of the loops (I forget the name) as Michael worked on his Jr. Ranger handbook. It was a bit chilly and we were regretting wearing shorts.
After about an hour at the visitor center we headed down to the dune to do a little exploring. Our greatest surprise was the Medano Creek was still flowing (a small creek that flows around the dunes caused by melting snow). Although the creek is running low this time of year we still had to cross it to get to the dunes. So off came the shoes and through the water we went. The creek is only one or two inches deep and was only about 15 feet across, but the water was freezing. I was shocked to see so many kids swimming in the water having a great time.
By this time the temps had started to climb and it was reaching about 80 degrees. Still not too bad for exploring. However the wind had really started to blow at about 30 MPH. At this wind speed the dunes had become a sand blaster and it actually hurt to walk. Sand was hitting us everywhere like small tiny bullets. When a gust would come up it hurt like hell, and blew in our eyes blinding us…. but of course, the boy wanted to go on. He climbed a dune and then rolled down a dune… Up, down, up, down having a ball if not filling his teeth and everything else with blowing sand. I am guessing we spent only a half hour on the dunes before mom and dad said enough was enough and we headed down the dunes and back to the car.
We the sprayed off most off the sand at some showers at the bottom of the dunes, we couldn’t get totally clean as these showers are outdoors and you have to stay dressed but we got most off it off Michaels face, legs, and feet. Then back to the visitors center for Michael’s swearing in as an official Junior Park Ranger. He was pretty proud of himself and was presented a patch for his accomplishment.
We headed out of the park to head further west on our adventure.
We traveled slightly south into Alamosa, Co for a late lunch it was already 2:00 PM, and other than a few snacks we hadn’t eaten since breakfast. We looked for a local “joint” to eat at but we must have been in the wrong part of town because we couldn’t find anything. We settled on a Long John Silvers/Taco Bell Hybrid and continued on.
The next leg of the drive was just getting to Durango where we planned on staying the night. The 176 mile 3.5 hr drive was long but very scenic.
The night was uneventful with a dinner at the Carver Brewing Company and a soak in the pool at the Best Western Durango Inn & Suites were we spent the night. Food was good, the hotel was clean, and we even saw a deer muching away at some grass while the boy swam. All and all a great trip so far.
Lots of photos HERE
Tomorrow: Off to Mesa Verde.
