Sand, Sun, and Snow

Another adventure in the books: Great Sand Dunes National Park, the largest dunes in North America. 

From Colorado, we drove south to Pueblo (ick) and west to Alamosa (cute) to stay for the night. It was a bit of an adventure crossing the front range, with temps dropping into the 20's with heavy fog, before we crossed 9000' into the valley and all of a sudden... Crystal clear, and 57 degrees. Very strange, very cool. 

The hotel in Alamosa was great, and we woke well rested for an awesome morning climbing and sledding on the Great Dunes. 

One note: it was WINDY! 

Even though temps were in the high 60s, the wind was very strong. Besides the wind chill, sand got everywhere. I mean literally everywhere, through 3+ layers of clothes. 

We also learned how hiking in loose sand can be pretty tough!

But overall, great trip. I'm really glad we got to check out this otherworldly place, a dune-filled desert high up in the mountains. 

We left a little after lunch to head home to Denver, as there was a snowstorm coming. As of writing right now, it is 15 degrees and the snow is coming down. Forecasts are saying 6-10", so should be fun :)

TTFN...