Day 36

Day 36 - Monday, July 27th, 2009

Colorado Springs, CO to Great Sand Dunes National Park, CO

Waking up early at the Doubltree in Colorado Springs, CO, I set out to find us a New York style breakfast, thinking that I would have to settle for a Panera, when Nuvi found an Olde World Bagels a block away. I walked across the parking lots, the only person around on foot, and purchased serviceable bagels with the necessary accouterments. We set off shortly there after, hitting the road with a full slate ahead of us.

Our 1st destination was the Garden of the Gods, a city park in Colorado Springs that had numerous rock outcroppings and miles of hiking trails.

We did not have the time to hike so we took in the sights as quickly as possible from the car and made our way to the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The Fossil beds were formed about 35 million years ago when the Guffey Volcano was spewing out ash and mud, which dammed up a stream creating a 12 mile lake with the perfect layer of muck along the bottom for preserving a whole host of organisms. Insects have been the primary find, but the petrified redwood stumps were the most impressive.

Avoiding a Ranger Bruce clone (Timpanogos Cave) that was guiding a tour, we walked around the easily accessible exhibits and headed on to our third planned stop along twisty roads.

The Royal Gorge Bridge near Canon City, CO is the highest suspension bridge in the world.

It is also the biggest tourist trap I have ever encountered (and we stopped at Wall Drug). It costs $24 per person to enter the bridge area. Admission includes a pass to all of the amusement rides and a pass to drive your vehicle across the bridge. Most visitors were walking over the Gorge though and enjoying the warm summer day. At least that is what it seemed from the entrance as Tara and I were not willing to shell out $48 to see a bridge up close. We left the way we came and set of to Salida, CO for lunch.

We found a charming place for lunch called the Laughing Ladies Restaurant, sneaking through the door moments before they closed their lunch at 2 pm. I enjoyed their special pork enchilada while Tara had their black bean soup and salad combo. After lunch, Tara explored the downtown area, while I took a seat at Larry's barber shop. Larry did a fine job, but he staggered me with the $14 price. He then asked what I would pay for a haircut in NYC. I didn't have the heart to tell him I usually pay $10 at a place in Queens, so I said about the same.

Our final leg of the day's journey took us to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, which lies between the San Juan Mountains to the west and the Sangre de Christo Mountains to the east. The valley between was once a huge lake that eventually breached along the southern end draining into the Rio Grande River and drying out. The winds sweeping into the valley from the west pushed the sandy soil against the Sangre de Christo Mountains, and the storm winds from the east built the highest sand dunes in America, with the great dune reaching 750 feet.

Since it was a warm and sunny afternoon we limited our explorations to the visitor center before setting up our tent at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis RV Park just outside of the National Park. The camping area was very rustic, but we found a flat and relatively rock free site that was visited often by humming birds. It was also infested with some type of sand mite or flea that chewed up my feet, leaving 15+ little bulls eyes on each foot. Thankfully they did not itch...at least not that night.

Map