Today we took the scenic route from Colorado Springs across/through the Rocky Mountains to Alamosa. We didn't really know what to expect but the whole journey was, once again, stunning. We decide not to stop on the way as we were keen to have a good long time at The Great Sand Dunes National Park, but we did stop for coffee at an amazing village store and cafe at Cotopaxi. It was like stepping back into the past - three owners in just about 100 years! And again at Salida an interesting arty town (think Glastonbury surrounded by mountains). It is actually the only small town we have wanted to stop in on our journey to date!
We then crossed the Great Divide (again!) and descended to a gigantic plain surrounded by mountains. At one edge of this, hard against the Sangre de Cristos Mountains, lies the Great Sand Dunes National Park. This is truly an amazing place, created when sandstone eroded from the San Juan Mountains 64 miles away was blown by prevailing westerly winds to pile against the Sangre de Cristos. But these are huge!
We have driven through heavy rain and the skies threaten again as we leave. But the sunset as we approach Alamosa and our next overnight stop is amazing with the mountain backdrop. Tomorrow we'll take a pass through these as we head for our next stop, Durango.
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