Out of the Dunes, Onto the Prairie

10-7-11

We weren't snowed in! There was enough to make the steps really slick after we brushed them off, but the roads were clear. It was a beautiful morning with the fresh snow and enough clearing to let the sun come through, and it continued to clear.

It's pretty icy!

Snow and ice on the steps

After finally getting up and around, we took the short drive out closer to the dunes but didn't go out on them. The snow made the sand quite slushy.

 This is a very nice park. We stopped at the restrooms out near the dunes, and they have a shower station, and changing area. The changing area is just a closed off area with benches, and open to the sky, but with the shower station just outside, it is a good place to hose down after jumping and rolling around on the dunes.

While leaving the campground we had to wait a minute for the deer to clear the road. They weren't in a hurry, and there were quite a few of them. The little one in the road finally hopped off and without any hesitation went to get some breakfast from the mommy. When mommy had had enough of that, she just stepped over the baby and walked off. Really cute. Then down the road there was a larger herd. They don't even react to anyone being there.

Headed east on 160 toward Walsenberg, CO, we had to go over LaVeta pass that is about 9500 feet. It was okay until around the top and for a few miles down the east side that was packed snow and ice.  We stopped in Walsenberg to have breakfast at a little park area about 25 feet from the train tracks. Sure enough, here came a freight train rumbling through. It was loud!

After breakfast we stopped at the local Safeway to pick up a few items, and then headed on out for LaJunta. We fueled up there and got directions to our next stop, Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site.  That was a very interesting site and had more visitors than we expected. We explored the fort on our own rather than the guided tour, and got our books stamped in the gift shop.

Barney, Wilma and Betty enjoying the display

There were many displays like this one

After leaving the fort, we checked on line for the hours of operation of our next stop, and if we pushed, we could just get in before they closed, so off we went. Wilma messed this one up by not reading carefully, so we went to the actual site of the Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, including 8 miles on a dirt road that took its toll in Rubbles' gas light globe, when we could have gone just to the administration office in town, and actually gotten one more stamp there. Oh well, it's not much of an adventure until you've been on a dirt road!

We stopped at a motel/RV park in town for the night. Maybe the people that live around here would not agree, but we really are in the middle of nowhere, so we were glad to have a place to park, even though it is a little rough. They did give us a key to a motel room so we could all get showers, so that was nice of them.

Our humble campsite for the night.

Betty, Barney and Fred all stayed up for some of the free light show the sky was giving.  It was almost solid lightning, more than any of us had seen before, and it continued on into the night. It was quite distant so we could not hear anything to go with it until it closed in a little and we got some thunder during the night.

The  Bedrock Bunch will see what tomorrow brings.