6-16-17

FINALLY, a night of decent sleep. We gained an hour yesterday and went to bed around 10 mountain time. Despite the late hour, I had some trouble falling asleep but once I was out, I slept well until 5:30 this morning. The sun was coming up and the birds were chirping and it was long before my 6:30 alarm. The quiet of the lakeside campground was a welcome addition to the adventure. We woke to a pleasantly cool 57 degree morning. At about 3700 feet in elevation the days are hot and in the 90's but cool off quickly after the sun goes down.  Excited to see the Rockies. 

We drove back east a few miles from our campground to Sand Creek Massacre NHS. The last 8 miles to get to the park site are a gravel county road and it might have been my favorite road of the trip thus far.  I drove in the middle of the road to avoid some bumpy ruts and noticed a turtle crossing and passed over him and then we stopped. Lorelei got out and tried to take a picture of him but he was scared and wouldn't come out of his shell. At the same time a jackrabbit was on the side of the road and got away too quickly before we could take a pic of him. Lorelei joked that it was the tortoise and the hare having a race. Onward we proceeded before spying another turtle in the road. We stopped before reaching him and Lorelei snuck close to get a picture. Driving again we saw two hawks fly from the roadside fence posts and as we arrived in the parking lot, two scaled quails flew away from us. I got to check those two off in my bird book because I've never seen them before. 

The ranger gave us a short talk about the site and we got our park stamps and went out to see it but sadly no junior ranger program to be had. We visited the site of the massacre by US forces against peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians in 1864. 

Driving the road back out we didn't see the turtles so they must have made the crossing. Next, a short drive to Bent's Old Fort which was pretty cool. It is a completely restored Santa Fe Trail stop. All of the workers were in period costumes including the guys doing maintenance to restore some of the adobe facade. We made sandwiches after visiting the fort and ate en route to Great Sand Dunes. 

We stopped into the town of La Junta to buy water and ice. And then were headed west again. Not long after our stop, our first glimpse of some snow covered Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Eastern Colorado is just as flat as Kansas but somehow more tolerable as ranches instead of corn and wheat farms. The drive was especially nice since the mountains were growing ever closer. 

Through that range and out in the middle of nowhere is Great Sand Dunes. I was unable to get reservations for this park and we were hoping that we could get in quickly enough to grab one of the first cone first served spots but when we arrived the campground was full. There is a private campground outside the park and had we been in the RV, it might have been alright but in a tent it was not appealing. Since we were able to see everything we wanted in the park today we opted for a night in a hotel in Colorado Springs so that I can get an oil change and service before we continue on. All of the other nights on the girls only portion of our trip are reserved in campgrounds so this was a real luxury and I can say without hesitation that I'm so excited to sleep in a real bed. Heading toward Denver tomorrow.