Another great decision staying in Pagosa Springs. It wouldn’t have been possible without the advice of Brandon (and the manager on shift that night) at the McDonalds on where to stay for the night. The advice saved me five miles of dirt road and uncertain road conditions in the national forest. Mind you, anyone who knows me knows there is really nothing on the McDonalds menu I would eat, but I do like myself a Coca-Cola, so I bought that to feel less guilty about spending three hours there occupying space and using some electricity.

I grabbed some oatmeal at the restaurant I parked near for the night; a courtesy for using the restroom and staying on what I think was there property. Also, one of the rare safe items I can choose off of the menu. I wanted to get going, so I wasn’t going to take the time to prepare breakfast anyway. Oatmeal is better than the snacks I had in the car.

With a bit of nervousness on what laid ahead I got on the road to make my way through Wolf Creek Pass. The first 10 miles were no real problem, a lot like driving in the hilly parts of CT, only at 8,000 ft plus. The next 20 miles where what had me ultra-focused and hoping I did not make a wrong move. The temperature dropped to about 23 degrees Fahrenheit and the road had a layer of snow across it. I took my time and made sure not to step on the brakes with any force going downhill. I was relieved to get to the valley and it was smooth sailing from there.

On my way to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve I stopped to take pictures a few times. If you stand and turn 360 degrees the chance you won’t see a mountain peak in the distance is pretty slim. Little did I know a certain peak that I continually was drawn to photograph were those that met the dunes.

I got to the visitor center and you guessed it, watched the movie to familiarize myself with the area history. Very enlightening; the spinning wind that causes this pile up reminds me of the area by my basement door and garage doors. Left alone leaves would form many different configurations, just like the dunes. I built up the courage to head out to the dunes.

The two mile out and back hike was not easy to say the least. I am not a fan of walking in loose sand on the beach, so imagine how much fun this was. While walking on the ridge most of the sand was packed a good deal. There were places though that it was like that part at the beach you have to traverse to get to the water. Also, it was quite windy so the 40 degree temperature was colder to me than many other places I visited that had even cooler temperatures.

Once I took in the major parts of the park I went on my way. I wanted to get closer to my next destination as I knew I would have access to electricity and a strong cell signal. This way I could catch up on uploading photos that I just was too tired to do the night before, plus the most recent blog and photos. Tomorrow hopefully holds doughnuts for me. Stay tuned!