Great Sand Dunes National Preserve - Colorado
In April 2008 Sarah had to travel away from Bartlesville for a few days so I seized the opportunity to hit the road again. I selected the Great Sand Dunes because it is Americas least visited National Park; not because it lacks the beauty or attraction of the others but because it is relatively remote. This shot shows the first view of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range as you approach. The park covers 85,000 acres on the Western side of this range.
The scale of the sand dunes is not really appreciated from a great distance, though they are clearly impressive.
when you get up close and realise that those three are teenage boys racing to the top, then the scale of the dunes becomes apparent
I grabbed some great shots here that I really like, it would be difficult to pick a favourite from these
I knew my legs were not up to climbing the dunes so I opted for a short hike around the park area where I found more great photo locations tucked away.
after enjoying a few hours in the park and exploring the visitor centre I followed the route out a little way to a car park signed for Zapata Falls, "a short hike up the mountain to an impressive waterfall" was how it was described in the visitor centre information leaflet. It was short but damn it was steep too, having dragged myself up there I was determined to see the waterfall
the mountains in April had other ideas, it was still a nice short hike and I grabbed a few more shots along the trail
as I left the park I grabbed a few more shots along the way, it was hard to leave that beautiful mountain range and head home
This is yet another place on the list of 'things I would do again' - 750 foot sand dunes against a backdrop of snow covered mountains, what could be better.