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Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
Great Sand Dunes National Monument and Preserve
My mild reluctance of sleeping in the middle of a forest in bear country turned out to be entirely unfounded, and I woke up in the morning feeling just as safe as I probably was all through the night. It wasn't all that warm, so I quickly packed up, and was on my way back to the highway in no time.
My destination for the day would be the Great Sand Dunes National Monument, and I arrived there shortly after 8am, about two hours after waking up. I had probably missed the more dramatic part of sunrise, at least judging by the photographer walking away from the dunes just as I arrived, but the colours were still fairly vivid.
I opted against a scramble up the dunes, and instead just did a short walk to a place called "Sand Pit". Even though it was only half a mile one-way, walking in the sand quickly tired me out.
I left the park only about two hours after I came in, still fortunate enough to catch a few deer grazing next to the street on the way out.
The rest of my day wasn't all that spectacular. I drove to Colorado Springs, got a room in an hotel, and spent most of the afternoon in the hotel laundromat, first washing my clothes and then waiting for them to try.
Miles driven: 266mi (428km)
Accommodation: Howard Johnson Express Inn (Colorado Springs, Colorado): $42 plus tax