Great Sand Dunes National Park

Two posts in one day!  After leaving Mesa Verde, we headed east towards Great Sand Dunes National Park.  There we found 700' tall dunes (the tallest in North America) but no cell service to update the blog.  Great Sand Dunes is a newer national park, which protects the dunes and surrounding ecosystem.  Very little of the park has trails, however the dunes can be explored at will by the public.  In spring and early summer, the creeks surrounding the dunes become a family destination to play in the sand and water, snowboard or sled down the dunes, or roll down the hills of sand.  In late August, the creek has dried up, but the dunes remain.  The main hike I did was to the top of High Dune, approximately 650' above the creek bed.  It was extremely windy, sandblasting my legs, and also challenging to climb in the loose sand and high elevations.  One day later, we were headed up back towards Denver!

The dry creek bed, dunes, and mountains.

Hiking in the dunes.

Headed up.

Blowing sand...

Wind ripples in the sand.

Getting closer to the top - even windier.

The top of High Dune.

Wet sand can be found just below the surface or exposed by wind.

Storms rolling over the mountains.

Sunset.

Mesa Verde National Park

After we left the Wave, we drove through Monument Valley and 4 Corners on our way to Mesa Verde National Park.  Mesa Verde was the first cultural national park created, which protects a large number of Puebloan settlements between 700 and 1300 AD.  While most people think of the one biggest cliff dwelling (Cliff Palace), people lived in over 600 cliff settlements within the national park alone, and the majority of puebloans lived on top of the mesa, where they farmed.  Ruins are present above and below the cliffs.  It was quite the learning experience and the park has ruins showing how construction methods changed and improved over the generations spent at Mesa Verde.  It's also a high mesa, requiring a climb up to 8,000 feet to get to the park.  Enjoy the photos!

Cliff Palace from Above

Within Cliff Palace

The multi-story facilities in Cliff Palace

Balcony House - looking across a Kiva, a round pit (always with a roof, the basic unit of construction) found in all the dwellings.  The roofs, made of wood, have all since decomposed.

Looking into a kiva, showing the ventilation shaft, deflection stone (to direct air around the kiva), fire pit, and roof supports.  The roof only had one hole above the fire for entry and exit.

Treece exiting Balcony House - the Puebloans were only 5'-3" tall max and had small entryways.

Looking down at Square Tower, a 4-story structure

An older Kiva example on top of the mesa.

Looking at a variety of dwellings; the one on the left with large fire pit was likely used as a dance floor for ceremonies.

Same dwellings; showing the cliff tops (note the forests are all burned).

Cliff Palace from across the canyon.

If you can't beat it, add it to the nature tour.

Inside a reconstructed kiva.

Spruce Tree House.

These are dams (10'-15' deep) built above the natural spring to capture rainwater and force it down to recharge the spring.

More kivas.

An ASCE landmark, this once was a 12' deep reservoir which captured 25 acres of runoff for irrigation and domestic use.  It's huge.

Coyote Village ruins on top of the mesa.

The Wave

Two days ago we took a day trip to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, but were unfortunately greeted by the haziest day of the trip which does not bode well for long-distance views.  We spent the night in Kanab, UT to wake up at 6 AM for The Wave.  Yesterday we used our lucky permit to hike to The Wave in Coyote Buttes North.  We won a permit the day before, the last two spots of ten allowed per day.  We considered ourselves lucky considered that 52 people showed up for the lottery of 10 people.  The unmarked hike goes to an extremely rare sandstone formation out in the desert.  After our early morning hike we drove all the way to Cortez, CO just outside of Mesa Verde National Park.  We're upgrading our lifestyle for another motel.  This one comes with a microwave.  We also stopped by Monument Valley for a short photo visit, as the dirt tour road was too much for my car to bear after the morning's rough road to The Wave trailhead.  Between ATV trails, Forest Service Roads, Monument Valley and The Wave, my car has officially seen more off-road than most suburban SUVs see in their lifetime.  A tour is offered, but we decided to put the $120 towards showers instead.  On a funnier side, I was also pulled over by a Colorado trooper for a very respectable 8-over on the highway, but was let off with a warning.  I have still yet to receive my first speeding ticket (ever).  Below are our favorite photos from the Wave!  Enjoy!

An overview of the Wave

Me on the cliff snapping photos

Treece pointing the way on the back-country hike

Running The Wave