Our adventure for the day was a trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park - which is about 230 miles to the SSW of Denver. We ended up leaving the house around 4:50AM heading south on I-25. At that hour my head was still a little bit fuzzy and I was definitely trying to wipe the sleep out of my eyes. We kept on going South until we hit the small town of Walsenburg which is about 60 miles from the border with New Mexico. From there we took highway 160 west to about 20 miles east of Alamosa and then turned North on the access road to the National Park.
Wikipedia describes the park int the following way "the park contains the tallest sand dunes in North America, rising about 750 feet (230 m) from the floor of the San Luis Valley on the western base of the Sangre de Cristo Range, covering about 19,000 acres (77 km²). They are perhaps 12,000 years old.
The dunes were formed from sand and soil deposits of the Rio Grande and its tributaries, flowing through the San Luis Valley. Over the ages, westerly winds picked up sand particles from the river flood plain. As the wind lost power before crossing the Sangre de Cristo Range, the sand was deposited on the east edge of the valley. This process continues, and the dunes are slowly growing. The wind changes the shape of the dunes daily."
Zack and I arrived at the dunes around 8:50AM and proceeded to spend the next 4 hours exploring all aspects of the dunes. I have been there numerous times before but I have never gone as far into the forbidding environment of the dunes as Zack and I did today. We essentially hiked into the middle of the dune and could see the ends of the park to both the East and West. It was fabulous to do this with my son.
I of course focused on taking pictures. During the course of the day I took over 100 pictures which I have posted to my facebook account in a new album. The following a representation of the pictures I took today.
Besides the joy of visiting the Sand Dunes today, I had to deal with a lot of trauma. Zack decided he was going to read my personal journal today. He took many of the words he read and decided that he needed to call Shelly. Oh my god! I have no idea what exactly he said, but from what he told me it is not good. I now have to live with the possibility that my son has forever sabotaged my relationship with Shelly based upon private things I have written. Great is all I can say!! Regardless of that I need to ensure Zack that I love him and I am not angry based upon whatever he may have said in a voicemail message to Shelly.
It is a very tough situation as I love Shelly very much. Even past flames of mine can see how much she means to me and all that I am willing to sacrifice for her.
Anyway - back to the trip to the Great Sand Dunes National Park... Zack and I had a fabulous time and we saw lots and lots. It may not be as great as Yellowstone, but it certainly comes in a close second!
Thanks and peace to all ~J.
We hope everyone has a great weekend ahead!
FYSRD
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