Day 29--Durango to Alamosa and Great Sand Dunes

Treasure Falls

We slept a little later than usual this morning because the drive from Durango to Alamosa was just about 150 miles, and we weren't sure there would be much to distract us along the way. We were driving Highway 160 all the way; by now Highway 160 has become like an old friend!

Between Durango and Pagosa Springs the road was reasonably straight, with nice scenery but nothing to cause us to stop. Then we began to enter the San Juan mountains, and the landscape changed dramatically. This is beautiful western country. There is enough rainfall to support a fair amount of plants, and the hillsides are covered with aspen and pine trees.

Not too far into the mountains, we stopped at a roadside pull-off labeled Treasure Falls. The San Juan National Forest was across the road, so this is a remote, unsettled area. The falls were full with the late spring runoff. A sign at the entrance instructed us to look for the water ouzel, a bird that walks under water! At first I wondered if this was a joke, but Smoky assured me that there really were water ouzels. They apparently dive into the shallow waters of streams and catch insect larvae. We checked out the stream at the base of Treasure Falls, but today we didn't see any water ouzels. I just checked these guys out on Wikipedia and discovered they are also called the American Dipper.

Ground squirrel

Treasure Falls was not without its creatures. We noticed right away that the chipmunks and ground squirrels were very accustomed to begging for handouts from visitors. They came right up to our feet and looked up expectantly! After a few minutes of teasing these critters, a bright blue shape flew in--it was a Steller's jay. This bird's appearance is striking with a beautiful color of blue on its body and a black head and crest with white eye stripes. He was checking out the people who were picnicking, looking for leftovers, I'm sure.

Chipmunk

Not too far up the road from Treasure Falls was an "scenic view" overlook on the opposite side of the road. This provided a 180-degree view of the valley and an eye-level view of Treasure Falls. Really nice.

Steller's jay

Continuing down Highway 160, we began to gain elevation as we drove across Wolf Creek Pass. We noticed a sign announcing the Rio Grande National Forest on the south side of the road. Smoky pulled off at a sign as we crested the top of the mountain and we discovered that we were on the Continental Divide at an elevation of 10,857 feet. This was the highest point we had been so far in our travels.

A narrow, steep Wolf Creek Pass was first constructed back in 1916; today's version is smooth with double lanes, snowslide sheds, and runaway-truck ramps for a safe trip over the mountain. Just on the other side we found Wolf Creek Ski Resort, good reason to keep this pass open all winter!

Once we were out of the mountains, the trip into Alamosa was easy. The land was very flat, with mountains visible all around in the far distance. We checked into the motel to unpack and relax for a few minutes before heading out to Calvillo’s Mexican Restaurant for dinner. On main street in Alamosa, this restaurant got rave reviews for its authentic mexican food, served buffet style. You know what that means! Pile that plate high with little portions of all those yummy Mexican dishes that you've always wanted to try. The price was great--only $10 per person.

Sand dunes in light from setting sun

We enjoyed dinner so much we really had to hustle to get to the Great Sand Dunes by sunset. Smoky is driving speed limit plus a little (thank goodness the roads are flat, straight, and empty!) with one eye on the sun and the other split between the GPS map and the road. OK, that's a bit of an exaggeration, but you get my point. We turned off Highway 160 onto Highway 150 to get to the park, saying that as soon as the sun got to the point when the sky really lights up, we would stop to take some photos, even if we weren't in the park and couldn't see the dunes. Thankfully, we saw the park welcome sign on the right-hand side of the road. Not too far after that was a pull-off, from which we could watch the setting sun light up the dunes. 

Sand dunes with reflected light from sky at sunset

Before the sun got to the horizon, the light on the dunes was already remarkable, with the peaks and curves lit beautifully in the dim light. Smoky said, "Keep watching them. When the sun drops below the horizon, they will pick up color from the sky." He was right. Those dunes became even more remarkable after the sun had set. 

Sky behind us, sunset at Great Sand Dunes

The land here is so flat that we had an almost 360-degree view of the sky at the horizon. We remembered advice from seasoned professional photographers: "Always look behind you. You never know what you're missing if you don't." The clouds all around us were turning magical colors from the setting sun. What an incredible night! After the frenzy of snapping pictures, I just stood by the car and let the glory of this moment wash over me. We are truly blessed.

Smoky had so many great photos from this evening at Great Sand Dunes, I thought I would post several more. Here are some of his favorites:

Tomorrow we return to the Great Sand Dunes National Park to experience it during the day. Our friends Susie and Roger along with their daughter, her husband, and their four children will be there, too. 

--Shann