Great Sand Dunes NP and Preserve

So here we are in the Rocky Mountain area and stop at

This place was fascinating.  Surrounded by mountain here is an ecosystem that just does not belong.  Water erodes the softer rock and moves it down a valley creek.  It is a very fine sand.  Sun and wind dry the sand then wind blows it back up the valley forming massive sand dunes.

Our first day in the park we took a hike up the stream bed for about 2 miles.  The water was cool but very comfortable and only a few inches deep, so we went bare foot.  The patterns the water made in the sand were beautiful and constantly changing.

The sand is so fine the slightest shift in water creates a new pattern.  Our foot prints were eliminated quickly and replaced with more sand art.














We took a day and drove up to Zapata Falls.  The falls is outside the park but very close by.  With just a short hike were at the falls.

In order to get to the falls, you must hike through the stream.

This water is exceptionally cold.  We both had to step on to rocks or out of the water several times to let our feet warm up.

Finally the day came to hike up the dunes.  In every National Park we've been to (over 40) there are signs to stay on the trail and to not disturb the vegetation.  But here the wind reshapes the dunes constantly, so there are no designated trails.  You just hike up the best you can that day.  The hike up was difficult for both of us.  One because of the altitude and lack of oxygen, but also the sand is so soft that with each step forward you slide back about a half a step.  Then there is the additional work of just waking through sand.  Tough walk!

We did not climb the highest dune.  But the one we climbed was beautiful.  The view over the dunes, desert then the mountains was an amazing contrast.  We sat on the top for about 45 minutes talking with other folks and just enjoying the scenery.

You can rent sand sleds or sand boards and slide down the dunes.  We met 2 women who were trying it.  The only problem seemed to be once you slide down the dune, you might need to climb back up.  We did not do any sand boarding.

The trip down the dune was super easy.  Each step down into the soft sand resulted in about 2 steps in distance.  Also there was no need to stop and catch our breath.  Even with Diana"s bad knees the trip down was easy due to the soft landing in the sand.

Denver

After Fort Collins we headed toward Denver.  We parked in the drive way of some great friends we've made in Mesa.  Dave and Julie welcomed us to their "Campground" and we stayed fro 12 nights.

We had a ball.  One of their daughters, her husband and 2 grandchildren are living with them for now,  we had a ball with everyone, especially the kids.

Bubbles are always fun

They wore me out and I loved it

We made it to a Rockies game.  Sometimes I get a little focused on the game.  I had no idea this pic was taken until I saw it in the album.

Sandy and Rick Herbert next to me with Julie and Dave next

We played golf, spent 2 days on the western slop of the Rockies and just had a great relaxing time.

A BIG mistake

I had wanted to spend a few days in Fort Collins, CO after the eclipse but prior to a service appointment we had for Harvey closer to Denver.  The schedule got a little tight so we decided to leave Glenrock shortly after the eclipse had passed totality.  This would get us into Fort Collins on Monday evening rather than Tuesday afternoon giving us the extra time I wanted.  BIG MISTAKE!!!

Turns out about 12 bazillion other people were also heading South on I-25.  Our trip planner said if we left at 2 PM we would arrive by 6...4 hours is no problem. We left at 12:30 and sat in traffic.  After 9 hours of stop, then 10 -15 mph we realized we were not going to get to our prepaid camp site that night.  BTW we had also paid for one extra night in Glenrock because originally we were not leaving until Tuesday.  Once we realized we were not going to get to the campground we pulled up a Walmart on our phones and thought we'd just pull in there for the night.  Then we learned this particular Walmart does not allow overnight parking.  So with tears in our eyes we thought about other places to pull over for the night.  Finally, we decided on the Elks lodge in Fort Collins.  They did not have designated RV parking but since we got in at 10:30 at night, there was no one there to tell us we could not park there.  So we did.  Early the next day we left and drove the rest of the way.  It was only about 40 minutes but we would never have gotten into the park or the space we had in the dark and as tired as we were.  I did leave some $ with the Elks as payment for the unauthorized stay.  So we paid for 3 campsites that night.

The Eclipse

We were in Glenrock, Wyoming for the eclipse of 2017.  We chose Glenrock because it was close to our planned '17 route and it was in the path of totality.  We had made reservations at a campground last October and they were full.  But  they could put us in a field with no services.  So that's what we had.  This campground is small.  It normally has about 50 camp sites.  For the eclipse there were over 500 RVs and a bunch of tent sites.  It is located along the North Platte River and was a nice location.

We got in a few days early so we could celebrate our anniversary and not be driving. Saturday before the eclipse we drove into Casper about 20 miles west.  Attended a very nice festival with great music, typical festival food and about 8 breweries.  I was very happy.  That evening we attended the planetarium presentation on the eclipse.

Monday was the eclipse.  AMAZING!!!  We decided to go up on the roof of Harvey during the eclipse.

We have no pictures of the eclipse as we were told it would damage our cameras.  So here is a pic of a banner..

Rapid City, SD

Our stop near Rapid City was simply to kill time before heading to Wyoming for the total solar eclipse.  We had no idea what a great time we'd have in RC.  We actually stayed in Hermosa about 20 mile south of RC.  The day we arrived the Custer County Fair began in Hermosa.  So we went and had a free dinner and some fun entertainment.  The next day we drove to Hot Springs to the Mammoth dinosaur dig.  It was fascinating.  Another day we went into Rapid City to do some shopping.  We also found a nice brewery and wine tasting.  We went back two nights later and heard a vocalist who was amazing.  We went back to Hot Springs and played golf.
We stopped in the RC Elks lodge and found out they have a golf course, so we played that a few days later.  They also have an RV park that, if we are in these parts again we will definitely park there.

We also connected with a friend from Apache Wells who lives near RC.  We had lunch with her.  The next day we played another round of golf at the Elks.

This turned out to be a great stop over!  Now off to see a total solar eclipse.

Theodore Roosevelt NP

TRNP is located in the western area of North Dakota.  The town of Medora is the starting point for the South Unit of the park.  The North Unit and Elkhorn Unit are an easy day trip from Medora.  The park is made up of mostly prairies and Bad Lands. It also includes what remains of Roosevelt's ranch called Elkhorn. The Bad Lands are different from the Bad Lands of South Dakota but similar.  Kind of like 2 children of the same parents, they are similar but unique.

They just seem to go on forever

While driving the North Unit we saw bison, prairie dogs and some wild horses.

We also got a look at some very cool rock formations

These formations are called cannon balls!

All that remains of the Elkhorn Unit is some rocks that formed the foundation of Roosevelt's cabin.  We took the drive there on day and hiked to the ruins.  Not much to see but the drive was beautiful.

The Teddy Roosevelt bar

We spent 2 nights in Bismark, North Dakota while on our way the Theodore Roosevelt NP.  I am a member of the Elks and we sometimes stay there or at least try to visit a lodge while in an area.  The Elks lodge in Bismark has the Teddy Roosevelt bar in its lounge.  One evening I went to the lodge to check it out.

It is a beautiful wooden structure that has had a very storied history.  It has been moved many times and was in storage for many years.  It was almost destroyed.  Some how the Elks got ownership of it and made it part of  their lounge.  One story is that when it was at another location Teddy would ride his horse into the bar to get a drink.  The history of this bar is interesting and I just had to get a picture.  There may have been a beer or two involved as well.

International Falls

We had lived in the Twin cities for about 20 years and never been to International Falls.  You may recognize the name as "The ice box of the US"  International Falls is often the coldest spot in the continental US and tends to make the news regularly in the winter.  From where were were staying near Voyagers NP is was about a 40 minute drive so we headed up one day.

This museum was fascinating.  It had a great history of the Native American inhabitants and a history from the time the first Europeans arrived.  The other half was of Bronko Nagurski.  Bronko was from International Falls and was an amazing athlete.  He is a hometown hero as well as a Minnesota hero.  He played for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and the Chicago Bears long ago.

We also saw Smokey Bear.

Voyager National Park

Voyager NP is about 40% water.

The only way into the park is by water.

We stayed at a rustic lodge outside the park on Kabetogama Lake.  We drove to a park enterance and took a guided boat tour.  There are about 12 million islands in the park...well maybe not that many but a lot.  The day we took the boat tour was beautiful.  Sunny, mid 70s, a light breeze, just perfect.

As normal the pictures do not show the true beauty or the detail.  We saw lots of bald eagles, loons, various water fowl and a deer.  None of witch you'll be able to pick out.

 2 eagles atop the dead tree.

Loon

After about 2 hours we arrived at an island with the Kettle Falls Hotel.  At one time this was privately owned and operated but park services has taken over and did some big time renovation.

The walk to the lodge

While the rest of the tour group was eating lunch we walked around the grounds.

This is Kettle Falls

The other side of the water is Canada

During the boat tour we actually went into Canadian waters and back into the US...without passports or checkpoints!  So we have now done this in Canada twice and Mexico once.

The next day we drove over to another entry point.  We were late getting there and I got to help the ranger take down and fold the flag.

This is me studying some scat.  Maybe fox.

Sun set by our lodge

Sadly the Aurora Borealis were not active while we were there.