Great Sand Dunes National Park

Southern Colorado had a two for one special - Orient Land Trust Hot Springs and Great Sand Dunes National Park!

You know anything with the suffix "national park" will pique my interest, but I had also read a few interesting things about the Dunes like that you could ride a sled down them so we made sure to budget a good day to explore the area.

And wow - it wasn't until I actually laid eyes on the dunes that I realized that I had never seen anything like it before. If it weren't for the abutting Sangre De Cristo Mountains pocked with friendly evergreens, one might think they were in the middle of a desert, which I guess once you are standing atop a 700 foot pile of sand overlooking 19,000 acres of dunefield, you pretty much are.

The dunes here are the largest in North America, rising about 750 feet from the floor of the San Luis Valley. The wind is the architect in this special case; after the glaciers that formed the valley melted, westerly winds picked up loose particles and began piling them up against the wall of the mountain. This process continues today. Sand is still moved across the valley floor to the dunes, making them bigger, and changing their shape daily.

We arrived at the dunes on a clear and chilly day, still warm and pliable from two days in the hot springs. With our intentions set on sledding, we were immediately disappointed to learn that, despite several internet resources telling me otherwise, sleds were not for rent at the Visitors Center within the park and that we would have to drive 40 miles out of the way to a satellite Visitors Center in Alamosa to get them - and then drive back. Nah. So we hiked.

From the first step into the soft, shifting sands, we knew we were in for a challenge. Climbing nearly 750 feet in elevation in sand that forever sank away from us took nearly two hours. And it certainly didn't help that because the dunes shapes are flexible and constantly changing there are no obvious  trails. We were advised to stay on the ridge lines to make walking easier, but we didn't always follow that advice and would more often than not end up scrambling (hopelessly) up sheer, crumbling dune faces and cursing ourselves for making the journey harder on ourselves that necessary!

After busting our glutes into smithereens, we eventually made it to the top of a tall dune ridge, but the chilly winds whipping stinging sand all around us quickly inspired us to turn around.

The best part? After the slow, painful climb up, the reckless running, tumbling, and jumping our way back down the soft, pliable sands almost made up for the fact that we never got to try it on a sled!

And I was no doubt shaking sand out of my hair for days!

Sunset at the OLT Hot Springs

At the Orient Land Trust Hot Springs on our second night, we headed up to the Top Ponds to watch the sunset. Although, when you combine freezing temperatures with the slanting of an orange sun over steaming hot springs - well,as you can see, it kind of turns into a brilliant, billowing, enveloping haze. 

Not that I'm complaining.

Because the walk to the top ponds is a bit over 1/4 mile on an icy slope, we headed towards more level ponds before losing all of the light. And of course we were treated to another dimming of the day in true Colorado splendor as we raced our rapidly freezing clothes to a warmer destination. We spent the rest of the night watching the scimitar moon sail over head and getting pruny in our natural bath.

In the morning we head to sandier reaches, the Great Sand Dunes National Park!

OMG! OLT Hot Springs

 

As soon as we escaped from the freezing air into the steamy hot spring, we began scheming on how we could stay here forever. We began listing people who needed to drop everything and come here right now. Imagine this: a thermal paradise at 9,000 feet elevation, perched against the piercing Sangre De Cristo Mountains lording over valley below and the distant San Juans. Yup, such is life in the Valley View Hot Springs at the Orient Land Trust in south central Colorado!

Wait, back up! First, our mad dash from Denver, tired from nights bent over arcade games and schmoozing at speakeasies, in the sudden onset snow storm, of course. The challenges of a winter road trip keep unfolding like an onion - and so do the perks!

Like a blizzard through Bighorn Canyon flecked with its namesake sheep spewing us into the San Luis Valley as the sun breaks through the clouds to greet us. We maneuver the car to a hasty stop to soak it all in. Somewhere, 60 miles along the chasm awaits our destination - and a private cabin booked for two nights! - but as we stand between the veils of two monstrous ranges being impaled with frozen wind, we don't quite know what to expect at this proclaimed "naturist community".

So headfirst into the snow we went, the setting sun throwing us into the shade of the squall before we took a left turn up into the mountains, dreaming of raising our core temps above freezing. Before long we had climbed up above the weather and were stopped at a boom gate next to the check in building. We find our cabin with just enough time to take in the beautiful sunset. This place already feels close enough to heaven and we haven't even seen any of the pools yet!

Okay, okay, no need to hold you in suspense. We quickly stripped (naturism here means "clothing optional", if you catch my drift), bundled our nakedness up in something that passed for pool cover and skipped into the steaming night with excitement. Although the short walk through the 0 degree temperatures was a bit rough, we eagerly entered the sauna (which had a spring inside!) before racing off to the pools.

For the next 36 hours, we soaked in the myriad pools throughout the area like happy, plump chia seeds. From the cascading "top ponds", to the breathtaking views at the "meadow pond", and of course the very impressive heated swimming pool, we basked in the steamy glow of 96 degree water in ten degree days! Pure bliss.

Have you soaked it all in?!

Honey, I'm Home!

After 50 straight hours of driving - I'm HOME! The astute among us may realize that the photo above is of our departure, not of our arrival, but I'm sure none of you would be interested in seeing my haggard, tear-streaked face crowded by a tangle of limp, oily hair that hadn't been washed since Sacramento, California. And yes, I said tear-streaked, because even the most intrepid travelers are entitled an emotional breakdown every now and then, especially when that breakdown coincides with a very intense daybreak dash through snow, ice, and windshield wiper fluid that froze solid. And, of course, the overwhelming relief of finally being off the road!

Looking at my recent post history, you might be remonstrating me from my lack of posts about my trip - the posts I promised you would cover my journey on a live basis - but I guess that just wasn't in the cards this time around. I blame technology failures and horrible time management. Had I a lesser constitution for remoteness, I may have lapsed into catatonic schizophrenia with the amount of time I spent in areas with no service at all. Have no fear, I will recap the adventures like a champ in the weeks to come.

Some adventures to whet your taste buds:

• Completed my life goal of visiting all 50 states!
• Hung out at a nudist colony in Colorado
• Attended a PhD level astrophysics course at UC Riverside
• Saw a wild sea otter up close and personal
• Cross-country skied to a back country yurt for the night

I can't wait to tell you all about it. Expect an abundance of sunset photos. What have you all been up to?

Celebrating Kansas & All 50 States!

Hello from Colorado! AGP and I have had an amazing time making tracks across this beautiful country of ours, although working from a tablet with only WiFi connections has made it admittedly harder to post from the road. But don't worry, I have been taking a TON of pictures. And you can always follow my Instagram or Twitter for daily updates on my location and adventures.

Its been only a week since we left Vermont and we have covered a lot of miles! From Albany to Buffalo through snow, wind, and dirty windshields, and then on through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri until, finally, Kansas! 

We took a day hike through the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio (which you may remember reading about here) to the frozen Brandywine Falls - and even though the bridge was out, we were able to complete a short loop through the snow.

We also enjoyed the more touristy side of things like checking out the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, which is pretty damn impressive in person!

But why is Kansas so special? Because it means that I have officially been to every state in the Union! That is a pretty big deal for a girl who has pretty much devoted her young adult like to driving around the country to see all there is to see.

Congratulations to me!

And as for Kansas, it was everything I could have hoped for and more. Awesome, expansive, vacant, and with a sky so big it only really hits you until the eighth straight hour you've been driving through it. We hiked in the last remaining Tallgrass Prairie in the United States, drove through a million miles of rural ranch and farm roads, and made eyes at pretty spectacular geologic formations - yes, they have those in Kansas too!

Yesterday we finally landed in Golden, Colorado to spend some quality time with Kyla and Ben, our friends who have recently moved here. Aside from the Rocky Mountains rearing up and smacking us in the face, the best thing about being here is that it is 50 degrees outside!!! A wonderful reprieve from the near-Arctic conditions we have so far endured. Our spirits climb higher and higher with each mile westward we eat up, and as nice as it is to take a few days off from traveling, I am excited to get back on the road!

Day Drunk in 2014

In 2014, I lived in Vermont for a whole year, started a tiny house business, and turned 27. It also marked a year of collaborating with Nessa and I even got to introduce you to my friend Kyla! Aside from finishing up documenting my cross country road trip with Nessa (just in time for my upcoming trip!), I really feel like this year was a great stab at truly finding my blogging voice and confidence!

Here are a few of my favorite posts from 2014:

(You can find other faves on the sidebar!)

Dreamland & the Extraterrestrial Highway

Trail Cam No. 2

From The City to The Country

Photo-an-Hour: A December DIY

Picspam: The Burning Piano
 

Orange Season

And my favorite collaborations:

A Week In Black Rock City by Nessa

The Beetle Who Thought he was a Dragon by Kyla

Thanks for reading, everyone!