Christian Kemp's USA travelogs

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My somewhat improvised camping spot - just a turnoff besides a small unpaved road 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.

Looking at the Great Sand Dunes 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)

Motel/Hotel Accommodation: Howard Johnson Express Inn (Colorado Springs, Colorado): $42 plus tax