April 13-15

Mosca, Colorado

We cruised in and were lucky to get an excellent site in the campground.  In front of our tent were huge sands dunes (the tallest in North America) and beyond the dunes and to our side were snow capped mountains.

The dunes were formed from sand that was deposited by the Rio Grande.  When the glaciers that fed the river and its tributaries melted, the waters evaporated, and prevailing winds deposited the sand on the east edge of the valley.  Because of the mountains and two rivers that surround the dunes, the sand continues to be held there and shaped by the winds, changing every day.  It’s a desert that depends on mountains and water!

We love this park.  Where else can you hike a mile up a sand dune in the morning,

and find yourself on a snow covered mountain trail in the afternoon?

(OK, we only went up the dune about halfway.  It was wicked windy and we were being sand blasted.)

This was the view as we made dinner.

Andy and I have stopped saying, “wish we had more time here,” and started saying, “this is a place we should visit again.”  I think Great Sand Dunes has made the cut for sure.  There’s a place near by that rents sand sleds; I definitely want to try that.