Colorado Road Trip

Last weekend the three of us (Andy, Me, and Hobie) took a mini road trip around the state of Colorado. The first stop on our journey was Great Sand Dunes National Park. One of the things I miss living here is the sandy beaches of West Michigan and I especially miss visiting Sleeping Bear Dunes. These sand dunes are a bit of an anamoly though. There are not a lot of nice sandy beaches in Colorado. Lots of mountains, yes, but sand is something the state is not known for. The dunes were huge! Oh, and in the middle of nowhere. We just kept driving down what seemed like an unending country road wondering where in the world this giant pile of sand was located. It wasn't until we were a couple of miles away that we finally saw our first glimpse and at first we thought it was a mirage. Eventually we made it and there before us was a beach nestled between big mountains and acres of farmland. It was a beautiful day but not very hot which worked out well for us, specifically Hobie. The ranger at the booth explained that on hot days the sand is way too hot for puppy paws but that Hobie would be just fine if he ran around on the dunes that day. He also thought that Hobie was cute and sweet so he said we could let him run around without a leash if we wanted. Bonus!! Hobie is much better behaved off leash then on leash in situations like this. The boy could hardly contain himself. He was so excited to play in the sand. He just ran and twirled and ran some more. He really enjoyed chasing after his ball but when he slid to a stop to grab the ball he received a face full of sand. After a few rounds of fetch his tongue was coated with mud. There came a point at which Hobie was able to play fetch with himself. He would drop the ball at our feet, the ball would roll down the hill, Hobie would run after it, then drop it again starting the process all over again. We had a lot of fun taking shadow people pictures as well. I wish the sand dunes were closer so we could play there more often!!
After playing in the sand for awhile we decided it was time to pack up and move on. We still had a lot of distance to cover and the sunset was nearly upon us. Our goal was to make it to Pagosa Springs before setting up camp but we decided to stop for the night after dinner near South Fork at the foot of Wolf Creek Pass. We pulled in to the campground, set up the tent, then prepared to call it a night. Hobie thought the tent was pretty cool when we were setting it up but when it came time to zip the tent shut for the night he kind of freaked out. He tried deperately to claw his way out using the door zipper and when that didn't work he tried to escape through the back window. At one point Andy unzipped the window a bit. Hobie stuck his nose up against the screen through the little flap and stood as rigid as a board. I haven't seen him point like that in quite some time! We couldn't move him. He just stood his ground and starred at who knows what for awhile. Andy finally closed the zipper but Hobie still wasn't ready to relax. He paced around the tent for a couple minutes before flopping in a corner. Eventually he did decide to let us sleep and throughout the night changed sleeping positions more times than I can remember, sometimes cuddling next me, sometimes next to Andy, and other times he squished himself right in the middle.
We woke up before sunrise, packed up the tent, and hit the road once again. Because we had stopped before we intended to, we were a bit behind schedule that morning. We did wake up a bit earlier than originally intended so we were able to make up most of that time. By morning though we were just plain cold and ready to sit in the heated car. It seems that we might need to get some new sleeping bags if we plan to sleep in freezing or near freezing temperatures again in the future. We had ice stuck to the outside of our tent. Way too cold for those who are not avid tent campers!!
Our destination for the second day of our 2 day trip was Mesa Verde. This national park is known for its collection of Pueblo cliff dwellings. We chose to tour the Cliff Palace. It was really neat to hear about the history of the dwelling and get a glimpse into the lives of the pueblo people so many years ago. Again one of those places that I wish was closer so we could visit again.
After touring the dwelling we hit the road again and made our way over a couple of beautiful mountain passes and past some cute little mountain towns. At one point we saw a sign for Andrew's Lake. Andy thought this was pretty cool so we decided that even though we were a little pressed for time it might be fun to just take a quick break. That lake turned out to be a hidden gem! It was so beautiful! Surrounded by mountains this little fishing lake turned out to be one of my favorite parts of the drive home. We decided to get out and stretch for a bit, oh and of course take pictures! We took so many pictures on our road trip that we ended up having to find a Walmart in one of the towns so we could buy a new memory card!!
Our mini road trip took about 32 hours (sleeping, eating, driving, and sightseeing) and covered 782 miles.