Day 3’s theme was ‘SUN’ but last minute added a ‘SNOW’ preview to our trip agenda too!
Started the day in Pueblo and drove north an hour to Manitou Springs (20 minutes west of Colorado Springs). Two tickets on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway hauled the adults to their first 14er summit – and provided a preview to Day 4’s itinerary of high (oxygen-lite) altitude and snow. Ro and I spent the time hiking Barr Trail (which ultimately also reaches Pikes Peak). We stopped 4 miles UP at Cog Stop #3, then trail ran down the return – in time to meet our trip posse.
Quick lunch, then off to nearby Garden of the Gods.
If yesterday was ‘Egypt’ in the Rockies, today was ‘Arizona’ in the Rockies. Majestic sandstone spires jutting from the landscape – all against a Pikes Peak backdrop. Scaling rock climbers ensured our eyes stayed glued skyward. And inspired Ashton did ‘Atlas’ proud at Balanced Rock – holding the universe/er…large rock on her mighty shoulders 🙂
FAAANTASTIC views, FAAANTASTIC Colorado day!
https://www.gardenofgods.com/movies/index.cfm
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- Barr Trail (Manitou Springs CO)
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- Ro & I hiked while the adults rode up Pikes Peak
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- Pikes Peak Cog Railway
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- Balanced Rock
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- HEY what’s over there?
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- maybe next trip (Ash said maybe)
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- beautiful scenery: spectacular Day 3 Hike
Day Two hike started from our ‘base camp’ at La Quinta in Pueblo – 45 minutes south to Walsenberg (nowhere America) and then another hour-half west to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Ro’s first National Park – almost all national parks prohibit dogs (and they wonder why attendance is plummeting; folks with dogs hike and LOVE nature…come on USA — argh!)
(Thanks to me) we wandered through forest (nice), then random campgrounds (cluttered), then hot sand (not nice). (On the map) it seems as if one can hike to Medano Creek (from Sand Ramp Trail) and lazily walk this waterway through the sand dunes’ center.
Plan B – we hiked south and east to Dunes Overlook trail (from Point of No Return, literally) – our first good view of the Dunes with low-running Medano Creek trickling through its middle.
Great Sand Dunes is an amazing geographical wonder. In the middle of Colorado, winds from the Sangre de Cristo mountain range circle & swirl in such a way [that] they’ve created Egypt in the Rockies (sans the pharaohs & pyramids of course :)).
My Colorado Life ROCKS!
From the Dunes trail, we trekked in search of ‘black sand’ – Ash’s geo-cache pic challenge. Hot sand meant hot puppy feet so I carried Ro over my shoulder through what looked like the Sahara. Our reward? Medano Creek. Cool on the feet – all of our feet, not just Ro 🙂
Day wouldn’t be 100% perfect without completing Ashton’s challenge – locating black sand. ‘Sand, sun and snow’ Colorado vacation – sand done, check. Sun and snow to come!
https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm
Egypt
Great Sands Dunes Nat’l Park
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- South from Pueblo 45 minutes to (nowhere) Walsenburg, then another hour-n-half on a state road to Dunes
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- trip navigators (NOT!)
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- seems tranquil enough
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- no fear, Ro will save us
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- cactus babies
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- Dunes Overlook Trail
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- hot sand, hot puppy feet
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- trek across the Sahara (kinda)
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- crazy amazing view (Sahara or Rockies – both)
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- Medano Creek
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- river oasis
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- black sand, white legs…GREAT Day 2 hike!
Strong persuasion/coercion during her UConn graduation was successful; Ashton is here!
Sand, sun & snow – every well-planned trip needs a theme, right?
Tomorrow’s theme ‘sand’ was a ‘road trip’ away from Boulder County so decided to break up our commute with a trip to dusty, wind-swept Pueblo 🙂 ROAD trips can be fun but a 5-hour drive the day after an almost 5-hour cross-country flight – maybe not so much. Decided to use Pueblo as a 2-day base for our South to North – sand to snow Colorado holiday.
Started the day with a drive through Denver (all major roads run thru Denver) and an early lunch break at Rosie’s Diner in Monument. Another hour later we arrived in Pueblo. Saw a ‘Colorado State Parks’ Facebook post a week or so ago detailing the state’s annual fish stocking efforts at Lake Pueblo – and needed a Day One excursion ‘filler’ so… Lake Pueblo State Park here we come.
Lake, desert, cactus – why not? Done; check 🙂
What us snowbirds didn’t count on in southern Colorado was the HEAT. Ro darted from bush to bush to escape the rays, dug a hole/circled thrice & hunkered down — TWICE, found shelter under a rock ledge – my dog was H-O-T hot. Gorgeous cactus flowers and striking geological rock formations highlighted our first hours. But the heat was dragging my party down, we needed WATER.
Not sure where this trail was leading us but I could see water far in the distance – so we dropped off [the trail] & followed a river gulch through sage and rock to its conclusion – Lake Pueblo, which was no mirage 🙂
A dip, some rest, a bean burrito, and the day looked 500% better. Followed the lake perimeter back to parking (no more trail for us).
GREAT Day One hike!
https://www.parks.state.co.us/parks/lakepueblo/Pages/LakePuebloStatePark.aspx
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- road trip
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- beautiful scenery but crazy hot for us snow birds
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- desert flower
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- Ro’s first lizard (the one that got away)
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- vivid colors..but all still cacti
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- hot dog
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- pooped pup
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- but notta dead dog 🙂
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- shelter from the sun
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- did I say hot? yea…it was hot
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- Help us great Indian spirit!
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- WATER! Please don’t be a mirage!
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- soooooo nice
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- yep my dog can swim
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- Day 1 Hike rocked (3 more days to go)!
