Sand Dunes and a Volcano

After a slight disaster in Colorado Springs where a pine chair or small pine table was left in the middle of a dark road and I ended up hitting it, my car has suffered a bit from the encounter, and after extracting the remains from the front of my car, I left for Trinidad the next morning.

I visited the Great Sand Dunes which is in the south east of the state of Colorado, it is a most surreal experience as you drive towards them, you are in desert grasslands with the mountains in the distance, then all of a sudden, there is sand, loads of sand!

There is no trail and you can walk freely, it was a very windy day and I was constantly blasted by sand particles, and had to get rid of a lot of sand from my shoes when I returned to the car!

Within minutes of leaving footprints in the sand, the wind had covered them up, I tried to take some interesting photographs but sadly it is very hard to see the sheets of sand blowing cross the surface, which looks espeically cool when it is blowing over the top of the highest part of the dunes!

Although I did not see any wildlife out there, there are a variety of animals that call this place home, in some areas the sand was damp and would hold your footprint because it would not blow over, and in one of these damp patches I found a very distinct footprint which I have since linked to that of a bobcat or lynx, who probably walked that way in the early morning.

They are not sure on how long the dunes have existed, the estimate ranges from 12,000 years to a million years.

It was quite fun to experience, by walking further into the dunes you feel more and more as though you are in a sandy desert, leaving the rest of the area behind you as a memory!

Great Sand Dunes photos here

Yesterday I took a trip to the state of New Mexico, and like I have mentioned in the past, crossing over the state line is like venturing into another world. It is a very desolate state, with miles and miles of nothing but flat plains.

That is except for the Capulin Volcano, which has historically had 4 lava flows, creating many of the mountain-like features in the area, along with the Sierra Grande Volcano which is clearly visible. From the rim of the volcano, looking north you can see the base of the Rocky Mountains in the distance, and in other directions just miles of flat terrain.

You can walk a 2 mile trail around the rim of the volcano and a steep walk into the crater where the lava blasted out from all those years ago! From the Rim you can see for miles, especially into the haze of nothingness in the distance. Another experience I'm really pleased to have experienced.

In the crater you can even see deer grazing in the mornings, thanks to the naturally fertile volcanic soil, it is a real point for life.

Pictures of Capulin Volcano here