Sand Dunes National Park

Colorado

2015-10-14

We arrived here a few days ago. It is not exactly what I had expected. The campsites are very nice, and mostly shaded, but they are very close together, and the sites themselves are very narrow….making for some car/camper gymnastics. There is no electric or water, so we have to heat using our propane. Still these are the tallest sand dunes in North America. They are surrounded by very high monster mountains. Some of them 14,000 feet and capped with snow year round. Very picturesque.

Believe it or not that mountain on the background in 14,000 feet!

You can see the sand dunes from our campsite. It is deceivingly close looking, however once you start to approach them it can take a good hike through soft sand just to reach them, and then you have to climb up on them. I did that four times in the last two days and boy am I tired and achy.

People climbing on the dunes.

That's us trying to make heart with our feet.

Kim and I climbed up on the dunes on one of those trips. We played just like we were kids again.

Kim making a sand angel

I of course wanted to photograph them by getting some of that early morning light that makes all the valleys and ridges really pop. I got up very early to get first sunrise rays only to discover that the light is head on making them look very flat and uninteresting. There is an APP for that. I should have consulted it BEFORE getting up a 4:30 am.

Texture!

The night before I waited till sunset only to find out that by then the light cast on them was entirely in shadow. Bummer! So this time I was not to be foiled. 4:30 to 6 PM was the window and I made a point of it to be there up on the dunes and ready.

A little sandy art.

I was not disappointed. Hopefully neither will you be?

A final parting shot