One BIG Sandbox

Saturday David, Emmie, Nate, Mary Jo and I jumped in the car and headed towards the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
(History)
The dunes are the product of the wind and rain eroding the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo Mountains which surround the valley I live in. They rest at the foot of the Cristo mountains because of the different winds and stay in place by water flowing down the mountains.

Being here for only two weeks, my lungs haven't quite adjusted, meaning we took a few breaks along the way. About half way up the dunes my determination and ambition began to dwindle. They really don't look that big, but in all reality, they're huge. Covering over 39 square miles and rising 750 feet above the valley. To reach one of the highest peaks, it took around one hour.
But at the top....
it was gorgeous.

Once at the top, we watched people ski, "sand board," and sled down the hills.
Going down the dunes was the funnest part of all. We goofed of racing down dunes and jumping off the cliffs. However I was the highlight of the trip.
I can upon a dunes that dropped down steep and then shot up about nine feet. My goal was to gain enough momentum in my decent to make it up the incline. So, off I went....

I began sprinting down the dunes, whizzing past Mary Jo, picking up speed. Closer and closer I got to the base, where I began to prepare for the uphill climb. I took one big step and planted my foot, pushing off to go up..... my foot sunk and my calf quickly disappeared underneath the sand. I found my body lunging forward, yet my leg remained unmovable. Almost as in slow motion, I saw my body drag through the sand, making a crash landing. Thankfully I was able to brace my self and ease the fall with my hand. Yet my body remained in motion, and my foot still stuck. As I collected my self and began to chuckle, I heard clapping, whistling, and cheering in the background.... Glancing up, I saw it. A crowd of 15 people, spectators and witnesses of my "funnest home videos" moment.

You can check out all my Sand Dunes photos by watching the slide show in the sidebar, or clicking on a photo and pulling up the whole album.
The day ended as we stopped back through Alamosa on the way home and checked out a huge car show in the city park. Its one of those car shows where, to me, the people are just as interesting as the vehicles :)
It was a great way to spend the weekend and got our minds planning out next hike, possibly up the mountain to stay the night and camp. Hopefully by then I'll be able to breathe comfortably :)
Love