Colorado National Parks-Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes

Mesa Verde to Boulder, CO

Since we were too late to see Mesa Verde the night before, we decided to camp at a nearby KOA and visit the scenic park the next day (Friday, August 22). We drove into the park and up the winding mountain road. Wayne was snapping photo after photo, but we all got a little worried (well, me mainly) so I offered to drive so he could devote his time to photography full time. We weren’t hauling the camper since all trailers had to be left at a parking lot outside the entrance to the park. We kept stopping at scenic overlooks, and every time the kids would say – Are these the ruins? They don’t look like ruins! What’s so great about this place? But then they would ooh and ah at the view. We went up to the top of the highest peak where a fire tower was and read the wayside exhibit about recent fires in the park that had been sparked by lightning. Several of them burned 5000 acres, and one burned 23,000 acres. When we climbed up to the top of the overlook, we could see the effects – the burned out shells of the scrub oaks surrounding us. But we could also see the new growth growing up through the dead trunks and branches. It was amazing how many acres were burned, yet at some areas the fire seemed to have jumped over large tracts of forest as bright, tall, vibrant, green evergreens grew alongside the burned out vegetation.

We finally made it to the cliff dwellings and, since the kids were getting kind of antsy, opted for the self-guided tour instead of the ranger-guided tour. At some later point in time, we’d like to go back to visit again, and do the whole kit and caboodle, but the option we picked worked out great for the kids. We visited the Spruce Tree House dwellings and the kids got to climb down into a restored kiva. In fact, we had a hard time getting them out, since the temperature was a good 10-15 degrees cooler than up top (or so it felt). They were awed that the places they were looking at and touching had been built 700 years ago, and people had actually lived in them. I had a good time talking to the rangers and exchanging “ranger lore” about working for the service.

The day wound down, and we climbed back up the ½ mile path to the top of the canyon to replenish our water supply and grab a bite to eat. We scouted out a picnic area among the pine trees and whipped up peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and turkey and cheese sandwiches (these would become a major lunch staple on our trip – stopping to get Subway or other fast food was getting too expensive). On the way out of the park, we drove through the park’s campsite to see what sort of facilities they provided, and on the drive, came across a plethora of deer grazing on the side of the road (Mule deer I think). All the kids got so excited, and the teen girls each grabbed a camera and started clicking away. Every time we rounded a curve, more deer would appear, and the kids would start squealing with glee. At first, the deer were far away, but as we continued to drive, each deer spotting would be closer and closer until toward the end of the drive, one was only about 3 feet from our car. I slowed down to a stop, and was sure it would turn tail and bound away. The girls had the window rolled down and were shushing the twins, bringing their voices down to a whisper. Jordan slowly lifted the camera to see if she could sneak in a shot before the deer noticed and took off. The shutter clicked and the deer suddenly looked up. Then it just stood there, slowly chewing, while it stared at us through the window. The girls silently went wild and started snapping picture after picture, until finally it got too dark and we drove away. They leaned back with expressions of immense joy and satisfaction, and I knew that many memories had been made for them in that all too brief moment.

We had lost time earlier in the week, so we decided to drive as far as we could before pulling over to rest, and we headed out of the park (picking up our trailer along the way). We were now heading east on Route 160 to pick up Interstate 25 to go north to Boulder, Colorado. We did have the option of going through the mountains – in fact, our GPS kept suggesting that way - but we were apprehensive about hauling the camper through so many unknown mountain passes and curves in the dark of night. As it was, the road we were heading east on went through a mountain pass at about 10,000 feet – and driving parts of it were nerve-wracking – and our top speed while pulling the camper UP the mountain was averaging about 35 miles an hour. Both Wayne and I would love to come back sans camper IN THE DAYLIGHT and drive those mountain roads, we went through so many interesting small towns. Every time we went OUR route and not the GPS route it would respond to us in a very annoyed manner: “Re-calculating,” and try to re-direct us. It finally gave up when we got closer to I-25 and let us go that route.

We did pull over at some point to rest, but then started driving again after a few hours. I was napping in the passenger seat when Wayne woke me up and asked if we wanted to see the Great Sand Dunes. We had thought about stopping there if we had time, but figured it would be the middle of the night, so we resigned ourselves to the fact that we might not see it on this trip. Well, it was 6:30 in the morning, and once I swept the cobwebs from my brain, I readily assented. I mean, how could we just drive right by the Great Sand Dunes without stopping to see them? So we turned down the access road to head to the park. The kids were still sleeping, but woke up when we pulled up into the parking lot (everyone had to use the rest room). We walked down the trail and the grandeur of the sand dunes was spread out before us. It was a perfect time of day. The early morning sun illuminated the dunes and created beautiful shadows that were ideal for photographs. The kids got real excited and started running on the sand. We soon found that it was much easier to take our shoes off to walk. There was a warning sign to keep shoes handy, because the sand could get extremely hot. But at 6:30 in the morning, the sand was actually cold, and felt great on our bare feet. We climbed a small dune and the kids slid down the other side. At the bottom of the dunes was an area where a stream ran over the sand. There was no water at the time, but we could tell it had been there, since the sand was very wet. The kids enjoyed digging in the sand and writing their names. Wayne and I walked down to one end, and could see water starting to wind its way down. It was almost as if someone just poured out a large bucket of water onto the sand, and the liquid was slowly working its way downhill. Weird but cool. This place was magnificent, and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. I’m so glad we decided to go there because it was certainly worth it. By the time we were finished marveling at the natural wonder, the visitor’s center had opened, so we were able to talk to the rangers and get some souvenirs. I also got my National Parks Passport stamped. We then headed back to the car and drove to Boulder, CO – home of my alma mater, the University of Colorado.