As we were driving to Alamosa yesterday in the setting sun, we didn't even notice that the Great Sand Dunes were visible from the road. We started in Alamosa and drove east on Hwy 160 to Hwy 150. I read in some booklet in the hotel that there is a worthwhile water fall on the way to the dunes, so we decided to give it a whirl.
Zapata Falls was not difficult to find at all. The road to the falls is clearly marked from Hwy 150, although the directions say to take a BLM road there was no need to worry about finding the specific road due to the helpful signage. It was a short 1/2 mile out and back trail. It was uphill there and downhill back. The path was covered with snow and ice and riddled with large granite boulders. The falls were partially frozen upon out arrival but was still a lovely place. I saw a lady hiking the trail with flip flops in all that snow!!!
From the trail head, the Great Sand Dunes were visible however without knowing where and what they were, I may have suspected something else. See the photo below...you be the judge!
The falls were only about 5 miles away from the Great Sand Dunes and we couldn't wait to get there! As we traveled up the road the dunes grew taller and taller. Admission into the park was $3.00/adult which I felt was a royal bargain! We drove to the dunes and got ready to climb!
The sands shift and move as the winds push them, ultimately changing the landscape. There are finer grains of sand on the top and larger grains (pebbles actually) are on the bottom of the dunes. As the wind carries the sediment the heavier, larger grains fall out first leaving the lighter, finer grains settling on the top. We packed up a bag full of water and snacks and set out on our unexpected adventure of climbing the tallest dune at 699 ft. We started climbing and kept going until we could see everything from the top. Honestly, I wanted to quit but Nate kept pushing me and I'm glad he did. It was hard to walk near the top of the dunes on the ridges because your feet just sunk right in. As we walked on the ridges we caused small sand avalanches!
The sand was temperate and felt good on our bare feet. It was warm, but not too hot. In the summer the sand can reach up to 150F degrees ! When we got to the top the sand was quite a bit colder and the view was amazing. We could see two different mountain ranges and an entire valley with dunes!
We ran down the dunes too! Gravity just took us! My feet would sometimes sink into the sand and would sometimes slap and bounce to my next step. It carried us down at least three times faster than what it took to climb up the dunes. Kobi absolutely LOVED the dunes. He was able to run up and down the dunes at will and was happy the entire time! Some people had snowboards to ride down the dunes, which would've been a good time too.
Overall, this was a fantastic experience! I recommend as well! I unfortunately didn't take many pictures on the dunes, I was afraid that I would get sand grains stuck in my lenses.
I drove westward from The Great Sand Dunes NP on Hwy 112 to scenic Hwy 149. This drive was beautiful. We saw more of the San Juan Mountains which are quite showy and volcanic. We crossed over the Continental Divide as well at 10,000+ ft. I drove for about two hours in the mountains on the way up. It has been quite some time since I drove in the mountains and I was a bit nervous downshifting, braking, and taking the curves with ice on the road. Shorty after we crossed the Continental Divine I pulled over and let Nate drive.
We passed through a really neat little mountain town, Lake City. There were mule deer all over the place; in peoples yards, in the fields, on the roads, etc. The charm and quaintness of the town makes me want to go back some day and spend some time there. We pushed on to Montrose because that was close to the Black Canyon of Gunnison which was the plan for tomorrow.
We drove in the dark on Hwy 50 to Montrose which is a little sad because we according to my geology book, we missed some good stuff. We settled in at the Black Canyon Motel which was incredibly reasonable at $48/night, clean, quiet, pet friendly, and really comfy! Dinner occurred later that night at Horsefly Brewing. There was some great entertainment from a little three piece bluegrass band and the bar was decorated with coasters and bottle caps from breweries all over the world! The beer was great and food okay... I would still recommend.
Tomorrow, the Black Canyon!
My apologies for not having an immediate follow up to Day 1, we were in a bit of limbo. Now, I am sitting nice and cozy in our Airbnb.
The snow is still softly falling outside as it has been all day and the temperatures here in Denver are more like January in Wisconsin!
We had a great time exploring Colorado Springs, I'm sure we missed a bit of it too but we decided to push on. Our next stop would be the Royal Gorge just outside Canyon City. The drive was easy, we headed south on I-25 to Pueblo and then headed west on Hwy 50. The main freeways often take you away from the outstanding geology, however we were able to see Pikes Peak from a distance! This is one of the famous "fourteeners" in Colorado, however it is not the tallest. This conversation occurred in the car and with the help of smartphones, we were able to decipher the tallest in Colorado is Mt. Elbert (if you click on this link it will show you the list of peaks in Colorado).
There was a bit of construction going through Canyon City, however it was well worth the wait. As we got through the city, beautiful geology starting to come into view. Lots of metamorphic rocks met us at the roadside and I began paging through my Roadside Geology of Colorado book. It has been very helpful in finding great geology in the area as well as deciphering some of the complex geologic history of the area! I highly recommend any of the Roadside Geology of (choose your state) books for any road trip you might go on. Another great book to have with you is a Gazeteer, in this case the Colorado one! Cell service often drops out in the mountains!
As we approached the road to the Royal Gorge, we noticed a lot of trees were lifeless and blackened. We learned from the visitor center that just last year, a terrible wildfire ripped through the area and devastated the park. A majority of the structures were damaged beyond repair and 2014 was a rebuilding year. Needless to say, the views were still incredible and the drive was well worth it. Dogs are welcome, however they need to be leashed. We walked Kobi through the visitor center, bought our tickets ($16 adult) and walked toward the bridge.
At the time of construction in 1929, the Royal Gorge Bridge was the tallest suspension bridge in the world. Here are some neat engineering statistics of the bridge! As you walk across the bridge there is a state flag for each state in the United States of America and you are encouraged to take a picture of you by your state and send it to them. The cables are extremely think, the screws are quite possibly the largest I have ever seen, and still the sway of the bridge surprised me. Vehicles would drive back and forth as their are shuttles and construction vehicles that need to go back and forth; what an erie feeling! I didn't enjoy the slight up and down, however Kobi did not like it at all! His tail was between his legs and he started to walk real low the ground. It was a little better where the boards were closer together and when vehicles weren't passing by.
The view was incredible! You could see the neighboring mountain ranges all around you and the raging Arkansas River over 1,000 ft below you. The wind whipped through the gorge at a pretty decent rate as well, joyfully flapping all the state flags adorning the bridge.
After we walked across and back, we stopped for a beer to enjoy the beautiful views and soak up the sun! I highly recommend this trip for all people of all ages, unless perhaps if heights aren't your thing!
It was early enough to continue on to our next location, so we continued west on Hwy 50 and south on Hwy 285 to Alamosa. The mountains were incredible on both of these roadways! We saw the sun setting on the range were "purple mountain majesties" inspired it's author.
Once in Alamosa, we stayed at the Grizzly Inn. It was okay for the night...see Trip Advisor
We visited a great local brewery in Alamosa called San Luis Valley Brewing. I had a fantastic beer and a fantastic burger! Nate was pleased with his food as well. Early to bed. Day 3: Great Sand Dunes National Park!
