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The Mountains That Touch The Sky Trip: June 2006 - Page Three |
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June16, 2006: The five of us headed out from Trinidad along state highway 12 this morning. Our first stop, Trinidad Lake was a bust. However, we later stopped at a small lake along highway 12, which was photogenic and fun for Ian. He found a little stream running into the lake in which he could wade and build dams. From there we continued up highway 12, up to and stopped at Cucharas Pass. |
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The morning had been overcast as we headed out, but began breaking up when stoped by the lake, and the blue sky coming through as we reached Cucharas Pass made for beautiful scenery.
We got to Great Sand Dunes National Park shortly after noon. Ian said, "I can't believe how big they are. They're bigger than you, PaPa." And, as we got closer and he could see how truely massive they are, he was even more amazed. He couldn't wait to get into them. He was so excited and brimed with smiles. He again thanked me from bringing him on this trip and gave me a big, hard hug. That, alone was worth the whole trip!
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Ian climbed the dunes with a vigor and then would roll down them. With his dad, he climbed higher in them than I would dare during the mid-day heat. And, with it looking like rain might be moving into the area. I needed to get to our camp site and check in.
This was the time of our first mishap. Before going into the dunes, Bill, my son, asked me to put his car key on my key ring, as a safety measure from losing it in the sand. Just as we were heading into the sand, Bill's girlfriend asked for the key so she could run back to their van for something. Well, I'm sure you've guessed it by now. When I left to set up camp, while the kids remained in the dunes, I had forgotten to ask for my keys and she had forgotten to give them back.
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My wife, Chie, and I didn't realize this until we got back to the parking lot. What to do? The dunes being so large, and the kids so far away, we were not sure where they were. Should we wait, should we go looking for them, or what? I was exhausted and told my wife we'd just wait. However, she insisted on going back for the keys. While I waited the 45 minutes or so for Chie to find them and return, I occupied my time taking pictures such as this one at right. |
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Continued on Page Three B