The Great Sand Dunes! I will be the first to admit that I am especially smitten by this national park in the San Luis Valley. There's just something about these huge mountains of sand, the surrounding desert and the Sangre de Cristo mountains, that grabs me deep in my soul. It was my experience of extraordinary places like this that planted the seeds in me to migrate west over ten years ago.

Here are just a few photos from my visit to the Great Sand Dunes this weekend. I actually did not climb up any of the major dunes like I have done on all of my other trips, and instead spent time enjoying the barely running Medano Creek and hiking the Mosca Pass Trail. I took all sort of pictures and you are welcome to visit my new web site dedicated to the whole Great Sand Dunes experinece: www.GreatSandDunes.net.

I do not have too much else to say. Sometimes I like to write a modest introduction above my Colorado pictorials when I feel it is needed. After spending an entire day at the Great Sand Dunes, my heart just had to write some of my sappy thoughts. Thank you so much for visiting this web site!

-Steve :)

Some Of My Photos From The Great Sand Dunes ... (May 6, 2006)

	Ah, the Great Sand Dunes with the Sangre De Cristo Mountains in the background! :)
	I actually drove about 0.2 miles up the Medano Pass Road. Things became fairly bumpy and I immediately turned around. Oh to have a 4-wheel drive to enjoy roads this this one! ;)
	Wow! Look at the blue sky and clouds in this one. It looks way more stunning in person!
	I walked up the creek bed until I reached Medano Creek. It was hardly running, but it was nice to see even just this little amount of water. The creek would have been running more at this time of year, because of the comparatively less snow the mountains received this winter. Like a geological mystery, Medano Creek vanishes by sinking into the ground and contributing to a large aquifer in the San Luis Valley. When it's running hard, it gives the area of beach effect with running water and waves of sand flowing through the park. Here are my other Great Sand Dunes pages: Great Sand Dunes (February 2006) Great Sand Dunes (Dec. 2004, Nov. 2001)
	The outside of the visitor center. (Above) There is something about this building that I really like. The feel of it is very welcoming and there is a large "patio area" with a few benches to take in the beauty of the dunes.
	I stopped by the small town of Hooper, Colorado. Here are all of my pages from the area: Biking in San Luis Valley, Villa Grove Sangre De Cristo Mountains Poncha Pass, Bonanza, Monarch Pass Bike: Wolf Creek Pass, Creede San Luis, San Luis Valley Scenery Northern New Mexico, Hayden Pass
	Lastly, I did hike about 2.5 miles up the Mosca Pass Trail. Now it wasn't a terrible hike, but the scenery was fairly unimpressive. There were not any grand vistas of the Sand Dunes or mountains, nor were there many opportunities for photography. Also, from the hikers I spoke with on the trail, the Mosca Pass summit was not particularly interesting. Thus, my suggestion is to put this hike on your low priority list, unless you really love hikes in a rocky canyon with little views one is accustomed to in the San Luis Valley. ;)