The "Rocky Mountain Serengeti."

According to a Nationalgeographic.com, that's what some call
the area south of the Great Sand Dunes.

We've never been to Africa.

But this is what the San Luis Valley looks like, 
from the Sand Dunes along the Sangre de Cristo Mts in in the north-eastern corner, 
looking towards the San Juan Mountains and the Continental Divide, about 74 miles to the west.

Maybe it's a little barren.

Occasionally, a small grove of trees.

And the fog in the distance sure can give it an exotic look.

Here you don't often see many big animals.
But one night we did.

Three years ago, driving from the Alamosa airport to the cabin at nearly 1 AM,
in -8 degrees, the reflecting headlights off the falling snow limited visibility.

A rabbit hopped front of us and the son-in-law asked if we were likely to hit any animals on this stretch of highway. 
I said I had never seen anything that would cause us any damage.
Just then a deer crossed right in front of us. 
And within five minutes, a really big elk hopped by, jumping higher than the car's hood. 
Next a huge cougar, with muscles you would not believe!

So maybe they are right, this is a little like the Serengeti.

Clouds are some of the most interesting things.

Sometimes it's worth to look up to see a different perspective of what is in front of you.

Here is a "panoramic" picture I took with the iPhone, on our drive into the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

There was a "dome" of clouds covering the entrance to the park.

And at the edge of the dunes, a radiating cluster was present….

looking like a static firecracker explosion, all in white,

which stayed like this for a real long time.

Here in the high desert, you also have to look up to see all there is to see.

Detour to the Sand Dunes

We took a little detour, on our return form this week's shopping, down in Alamosa.

Turned north on CO Hway 150, just west of Blanca,

Colorado's 4th tallest peak, at over 14,000 feet.

Then headed for about 20 miles, to the tallest inland sand dunes in N. America.

Here, the sands from the > 7,000 foot high desert get carried by the winds 
to the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo.
As the currents climb the mountain range, the sands get dropped, to make the dunes.


A peculiar sight it is, with dunes right next to a mountain range.

You can walk right up on them, if you like

and, perhaps experience the shifting sand under your shoes.

And while dunes usually makes us think of laying out on the warm sand with a pina colada in our hands…...

first you have to take a little walk to get there.

And in 25 degrees, it's a long, long walk.

What to do in retirement?

You might think that what we do in retirement is a little boring or repetitive. But, what the heck.

We are having fun and doing physical things that we would not have otherwise ventured into.

So, while the knees still work ok, here is what we did yesterday:
Went snowshoeing down an abandoned logging road in the virgin snow.

With just about every step, we'd sink up to our knees.

But, it finally got a little easier as we went back down to 9,000 feet.

Kept our eyes open for wild animal signs, though. 
The day before there were dog-like droppings, but with hair in it. 
No doubt the coyote from down the mountain came up here for a little bunny meal.

The neighbor says that, in the Fall, he's seen 2 mountain lions, roaming together along this road. 
And a black bear that likes to walk between our properties. 
But all the snow was virgin fresh, without a sign of recent activity.

Meanwhile our long legged 14 month-old lab enjoyed himself, 
sometimes running off to make his own trail.

But, eventually decide it was best to backtrack,

and just follow the easy trail we had just made.

Usually he goes about 3 times as far as we.
But in that deep snow yesterday, he only went 2 times as far.

Yes, it was a little tiring for all of us, 
but we knew there would be a nice reward upon our return:

a warm & cozy fire, by which to enjoy a little rest. 

We like to go cross-country skiing

and take 14 month-old lab, about every other day.

He likes to follow the prior days trail, 'cause it's firm enough he does not sink.

But, just about every 75 feet or so, he suddenly jumps into the soft snow

to check the smells around a tree 

or just sniff what other animals might have been around.

Then slowly trudges through the deep snow

till he returns to the packed-down trail

and runs ahead to take the lead.

(PS Pardon the color-tinged snow. 
But there's no way we're going to carry anything heavier than a simple cell phone 
to take pictures of a running dog.)

Waking up at 2 degrees

Woke up the other morning with 2 degrees outside….
and we had turned out the wood stove at 9 PM.

But, lo and behold, 

it was a warm and toasty 49 degrees inside.


Well, I thought it was warm and toasty, compared to the outside. 

The wife had other words for it.

The approaching weather

We didn't know why the dog kept standing at the kitchen window.

Skies were turning a little grey right overhead.

Then things quickly turned from this 

to this

The wind began to blow.

But once inside, he did not seem to mind.