This time last year we found ourselves happily camping at the Great Sand Dunes National Park... so why not go back?
The forecast was for clear-ish skies and a new moon. Darker than dark! It was high time to try my hand at astro-photography and unlike half the people on this planet, I had the perfect place and time to experiment.
We loaded up the car with way too much car camping gear, food and Teddy-accoutrements and hit the road Sunday morning. Not goin' to lie; there was fast food involved!
Did I mention the Pike's Peak detour? No? Well... it seemed only right not to bypass a 14-er given my leanings these days. Pikes Peak would be the 14th 14er of the season and I could see no harm in getting Mark to drop me off a thousand feet from the top and me hiking it, just for kicks.
Yes, you can drive to the top of Pikes Peak - at a cost of $18/person. (Brilliant plan by Colorado Springs to capitalize on this!)
Near the top, I began my hike/scramble. Alas it was slick, windy and cold... and before long, around the same time the freezing rain began to fall, I was having doubts about a plan that was increasingly high risk for injury. Then I passed the guy who had blood oozing through his hiking pants, after not one but two falls and had turned back from the summit... Game over. The 14th 14-er was a drive to the top for some thin air and thunder-snow. It still counts!
Back on the road, we made tracks to the GSDNP. Not sure how, but it took all day and was almost dark as we pitched tent at campsite #050 in Loop 2 of the Pinon Flats Campground. Just in time to snap a couple of longer exposures and hope to capture any part of the illusive Milky Way. Clouds were rolling in.
Tomorrow promised to be a clearer sky so this exhausted gal called it a night and welcomed the feeling of a warm sleeping bag next to a confused dog. Teddy was not at all convinced this was the life he was supposed to be leading. What happened to his cushy bed and air conditioned environment?! Where was that annoying black cat when he had feelings to share?!
Day 2... The cool and crisp in the morning did not stop me from boiling water and getting a French press going as the sun rose. Ahh... lovely. Reheated French toast with peach compote was just the ticket and fueled us for a dunes walk that took up most of the morning.
The afternoon, with its questionable and fast moving weather, turned out to be the perfect drive-explore window. We found ourselves around the Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge and to my surprise had lots of encounters with hawks!
Across the San Luis Valley rain and virga could be seen hopping around. As for us; just a few sprinkles here and there. I'm not made of sugar - for better or worse - and it was nice to see the mountains and valleys getting rain after quite the fire season this year.
Night two was cloudier than night one! No astro for me. But you know what? Dinner of brats with mushrooms and onions in gravy over cheesey mashed potatoes was a treat. And as the rain fell outside, Teddy was quick to settle inside the tent. Having rigged a hokey ipad holder at the ceiling of the tent, Mark and I were able to delve into a new Netflix offering. (This is not your grandfather's camping story, obviously!)
Day 3: Up and out pretty early, I left coffee fixin's with Mark and set off to the dunes with Teddy. Sunrise was a lot colder than expected but these moments are fleeting and we enjoyed the first rays hitting changing leaves and then the dunes themselves. My little muse posed like a champ and remained patient on his leash as I *tried* to capture what I was experiencing.
Then we skedaddled back to camp for oatmeal and coffee.
The last order of the trip was to take the 4-runner a little ways along the Medano Primitive Road. A sandy little adventure that culminated in accidentally stopping right where a small herd of deer felt comfortable sharing space with us.
We later found the males of of the group too. I think it might have been a "red tent" type of situation here. Not pretty, but they appeared to be well supported and accepted by each other as the velvety skin peeled off their antlers in gorey fashion! How can this not be painful?!
The journey back home was via Fairplay and 285. Home, as it turned out, had been under a dark torrential cloud for 24 hours, making the Sand Dunes and it's lack of astro-photography opps look pretty darn beachy after all.
