Ockey Family Adventures: Colorado Day 4

Another new National Park.

This morning we loaded up and drove the 30 minutes to the store that rents sand boards just outside the gate of Great Sand Dune National Park. We got there right at 8 o'clock when it opened, but we still had to wait in line. We decided to get a stand-up board, and as well as a sled. Once we got them loaded up, we drove into the park.

We went straight to the dunes because the Visitor Center wasn't open yet, and the sand was still cool in the morning. After a quick breakfast of cold cereal and muffins, we headed out on the sand. It was a long walk across the sand to where the dunes rose up out of the sand. They were really beautiful, and we went eagerly toward them with our boards, though the walk back was much less exciting.

Our first runs were on a little slope, and Dax was a natural. He swooped right down the hill on the stand-up board without any trouble. It looked like he'd been snowboarding his whole life. Seth did well until he got to the bottom of the hill. Then, his body got in front of his feet, and he'd crash spectacularly. Mark and Dad struggled a lot more. Mom wasn't too sure about standing up at all!

Great Sand Dunes

Dax was a pro right from the start.

Seth also caught on really fast!

He liked sledding, too!

Soon Dax was zipping down.

Dax also tried the sled.

Mark working on his form.

Eventually, we moved to a bigger hill. Seth, because he is pretty light, figured out how to stick the landing. Mark faced a lot of frustration. It was good to see that his persistence was greater than his shortcoming. Before we left, Mark had mastered the slopes and was having a great time on the big hills.

Mark worked really hard and was a pro before we left.

Dad also became a great sand boarder.

Dax had plenty of crashes, but he always smiled.

There was so much sand!

Seth absolutely loved it! He would have stayed all day.

Seth got so good!

I just love Dax's hair in this pic!

The walk back through the sand really wore us out, so we headed back to the Visitor Center. We turned in the Junior Ranger booklets, and got information on where to fill the tire we'd been having trouble with. Luckily, due to all the driving in sand, they have a compressor right in the park. We filled up the tire and then drove out and very sketchy road as far as we could in the van. Mostly, we just needed to sit for a while.

They have SO MANY Junior rangers.

There was a little nature trail that we wanted to walk, but honestly, there is not a lot of hiking in Great Sand Dune. We enjoyed the nice shady trail, though we didn't see much in the way of wildlife. It was so pleasant in the parking lot that we put lunch together (well, Dax had cereal again). Then we took another short walk behind the Visitor Center. This one was right out in the open, and it had grown hot in the early afternoon sun.

The nature trail had some cute bridges.

Seth found a fun tree.

There was a nice overlook of the dunes at the end.

Dax's toe was doing pretty well, and there was a waterfall hike just outside the park. We quickly returned the sand boards and drove to the trailhead. It was so steep and rocky to the foot of the waterfall! As we approached, the walls narrowed down in a nice little grotto and you could feel the cool spray. The waterfall was hard to access, but Dad and Mark climbed up and Mom got a few good pictures. Dad got his shoes wet, and we only laughed at him a little as he held them out the window of the van for half an hour to dry them out.

Dad and Mark braved the slippery rocks to climb up.

Dad has goat feet, so he can climb anywhere.

The Alamosa NWR was right on the way home, so we stopped and drove through. Dax and Seth were pretty bored, but Mark loves looking at the birds. He identified dozens of species in the marshy ponds while Dad confirmed with his shoes in his hand, still air-drying out the window.

Mark always loved the wildlife refuges.

Even though it was early afternoon, we arrived back in town for dinner and to gas up. We ate ramen at the house and then headed back out to the park for one more trail. We wanted to get there at dusk for possible animal sightings as well as to take advantage of the cool evening. We didn't see a lot of animals, but we did see two big bucks standing in the twilight.

We were met by a gorgeous sunset at the end of the hike. We watched as the clouds turned orange and red, and then hurried back down the trail. We reached the van just as it got dark.

The trail was a great one at sunset.

These two big deer were a fun sighting.

Sunset was stunning!

We were grateful for the bench at the top after the climb up.

Mom and Seth hanging out.

The dunes looked so neat in the evening light.

Mom loved the sunset!

Up the road, we pulled over for some stargazing. There was no moon, and it was a perfectly clear night. The boys enjoyed using the binoculars to spot clusters, and the Milky Way was very bright. Mom spent her time trying to get good night pictures. It was really cool, even though we got back late.