Travel – Page 13 – Option Gray

We took the opportunity to drive up to Colorado and spent a few days at Great Sand Dunes National Park. It's hard to express the beauty here. With the tallest sand dunes in North America (at around 750 feet), Great Sand Dunes National Park is located in the San Luis Valley. Specifically in the easternmost parts of Alamosa County and Saguache County, in the state of Colorado, United States. The dunes are slowly growing and have been for almost 500,000 years. When the water of the Rio Grand River and its tributaries melt and then evaporate, sand and soil deposits are picked up by the Western winds. The winds then deposit them at the foot of the Sangre de Cristo Range on the east edge of the valley. It's a strange mix of high desert vegetation, towering mountain ranges still covered in snow and huge dunes of fine sand. You'll never see the same dune formation twice as the dunes are slowly growing and the constant wind changes their shape and size constantly. Medano Creek flows from the melting snow of the surrounding mountains and provides a welcome way to cool off during the hotter months and can surge up to 18 inches deep in May. Summer 2015 comes to a close this Labor Day Weekend and spending time away from cell phone coverage, social media, and work gives a fresh perspective and recharge.