6/2/20
Drove to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Camped at a cool campsite looking down on the San Luis Valley and the Sand Dunes with 14ers all around. Took a short hike up to Zapata Falls, which still had ice inside. Had a nice campfire as we gazed upon the sunset
6/3/20
We drove to the town of Blanca where had had breakfast burritos. We then hiked up High Dune within the National Park. It was very surreal with the dunes extending all around and snowy 14ers surrounding the dunes. And then the creek flowing through the base of the dunes was one big beach scene with people and their umbrellas, castle building equipment, and boogie boards. After hiking around in the dunes, we took a trip to Alamosa for shopping and ice cream.
In the afternoon we went back up High Dune to see the dune shadows and the sunset and have a beer in the sand. We had dinner in the National Park, and then I hiked up by full moon into the dunes again. It was really cool b/c the moon was so bright on the dunes you definitely didn't need a torch.
6/4/20
In the morning we rented sand boards and did some sand boarding. We then drove the Cañon City via Westfield. We REALLY liked Westfield and they had cheap property... We had ice cream in Cañon City and then drove up the canyon above Cañon City to camp on BLM land. We watched the full moon rise, which was beautiful
6/5/20
We took a little hike in the canyon that had explanations of the fossils and dinosaur bones found in the area. It's famous for the dinosaur skeletons found in the area.
We then visited the Royal Gorge and Royal Gorge Bridge. The gorge is very impressive. It's so deep and such a long way down to the Arkansas River below that walking on the bridge is a bit nerve wracking. Crossing back across the gorge, we took the gondola as it was included in the (over)priced admission fee.
We then drove to Colorado Springs where we met Elisha's friend Sara at the Garden of the Gods for a social distancing picnic lunch. Elisha went to college with her, and Sara lived in Jordan and France previously. After our lunch, Elisha and I hiked through the beautiful geologic formations of the area.
Ever wonder how Garden of the Gods got its name? Well here is the story according to their website
"It was August of 1859 when two surveyors started out from Denver City to begin a townsite, soon to be called Colorado City. While exploring nearby locations, they came upon a beautiful area of sandstone formations. M. S. Beach, who related this incident, suggested that it would be a "capital place for a beer garden" when the country grew up. His companion, Rufus Cable, a "young and poetic man", exclaimed, "Beer Garden! Why it is a fit place for the Gods to assemble. We will call it the Garden of the Gods." It has been so called ever since."
When we got back to Estes, Zach was there. The next day we went golfing. I, sadly, hit a goose straight in the head with a fast 3-wood drive. Zach had it all on film. We ended that night playing trivial pursuit.
The following day, Mom, Zach, Elisha, and I drove over Trail Ridge Road. We had #mimosaswithjudy on top of the pass. In Grand Lake we rented a motor boat to go around the lake, had ice cream, and hung out on the swings at Grand Lake Lodge. Back in Estes we had Thai Take-out.
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| Sand Dunes by night |
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| Zapata Falls |
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| Sand boarding |
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| sand boarding |
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| West Cliffe |
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| Black Lives Matter |
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