I have been to the Great Sand Dunes National Monument (NPS website) many times. This time, our Easter weekend trip was marked by interesting weather from the start. A rain snow mix in the Denver area changed into snow as we drove through the foothills. We encountered snow showers in San Luis Valley, but we still planned to get up for a sunrise in the dunes. Spending the night in Alamosa, some 40 miles away, calls for getting up very early. We did, and it was dark and foggy when we left the motel before 5am. Foggy! This high altitude arid mountain-surrounded area receives less than 8 inches of precip every year and there it was - fog as thick as I have ever seen.
The fog did not break as we slowly climbed the dunes. There was some snow from the previous night, and the sand was wet making the climb easier than usual. When we got to the top of the tallest dune, one could hardly tell where the snow ended and the fog started. Hoping for the sun to come out, as the forecast had said the day before, we embarked on building a snowman, or a sandman if you will.
The sun did finally come out later, too late to be able to take pictures that we originally intended. But can you beat building a snowman in the sand dunes?
or,
if you prefer, sign an entry in the
guest book.
