We’re back!!!
We had a great time on our camping vacation and returned home safe and sound. It’s so weird spending days out in very sparsely populated areas only to enter the bustling city again. I do think that everyone should camp at least one night a year though if only to appreciate modern conveniences! Warm running water, flush toilets, microwaves, dishwashers, mattresses and laundry facilities are so convenient!
I’m only sharing a few photos with you…a couple from the Black Canyon near Gunnison, CO, a ghost town near Silverton, CO and a shot of the dunes from the Great Sand Dunes national monument near Alamosa, CO. The Black Canyon and the Sand Dunes are geological wonders in my opinion.
The Black Canyon has been carved out by the flowing waters of the Colorado River. It is approximately 54 miles long, 1000 feet at its narrowest point rim to rim and 2000 feet at its deepest. During a good year, the Colorado River will actually flow to the Pacific Ocean. The canyon walls are beautiful, striations of various different types of rocks and minerals create an abstract painted effect on the walls. I could have stayed there for days.
The Sand Dunes is just a weird phenomenon. Erosion of the mountains from wind and water have caused sand to build up in the San Luis Valley against the Sangre de Christo mountain range near Alamosa, CO. The sand has no where to go so the wind continues to shape the dunes and shift them around. They are the highest/tallest sand dunes in the US. We attempted to hike up to the tallest ones around 700 feet high, but it was hard work and it was hot. It is recommended that hikes be attempted in the AM or late evening PM because of the heat. My daughter remarked that she thought we were in Egypt!
I added a couple of ghost town images too from the once bustling town of Animas Forks which is about 12 miles NE of Silverton, CO at an elevation of about 11,000 feet. We had intended to camp nearby, but as you can see from the photos, it was rainy and cold so we just tooled around a bit. In the late 1800’s about 500 people lived in this mining town. This fact alone makes my jaw drop because it was a grueling climb in our 4 WD vehicle up a winding 1 lane gravel road that’s been leveled. I can’t imagine making the track in a horse drawn wagon and living with no central heat or running water. These were a hardy people. When the mining went bust, the town emptied and all that remains now are a few shells of buildings and some building foundations.
Anyway, it’s back to work now for both my husband and me. I’m going to paint some more and get my clay studio up and running!
August 9th, 2006 at 3:12 pm
yea! you’re back. sounds like it was fun. I love the third pic down. Ghostowns have always intrigued me. I wish I could have seen it.
August 9th, 2006 at 3:13 pm
I mean I like the fourth pic down. It has a lovely spooky quality and I like the white spots.
August 9th, 2006 at 3:22 pm
Thanks JB we had intended to visit a ton of ghost towns, but didn’t have enough time…they’re all off the beaten track on iffy roads in the middle of no where.
This photo does have an spooky quality to it probably helped by the weather. The white spots are rain. We were able to explore the insides of the houses too, which was really cool.
August 10th, 2006 at 6:57 am
OMG Cyn what an incredible trip youall had! And the beauty of those photos make me want to visit out there again in the worst way! I hope you can share more with us. The last time I was in Colorado was back in about ‘79. Those canyon walls are just huge and I never realized those sand dunes were there. One more thing..what are those mysterious orb things in the ghosttown photos!?! Some of them seem to be moving. I captured some rain orbs once before a storm but these look different. Glad yer back! oops just read where you said the orbs are rain but it’s still spooky looking!
August 10th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Thanks for sharing some of your trip with us. Those pictures are fantastic, so I can just imagine what a great time you had soaking up the scenery!
August 10th, 2006 at 2:49 pm
Welcome back, Cynthia. Seems that you had great fun out there. I love the first pic - what a gorgeous view! The 3rd one is also impressive - I love the beams of sunlight through layers of clouds. Really nice.
BTW, I look forward to view your pottery works again soon.
August 10th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
Thanks Lyn, maybe what I thought was rain was really disembodied spirits? I’m sure there were quite a few deaths up in these towns.
Thanks Amber! I did enjoy the scenery so much…I brought books to read and my sketch book…needless to say, they weren’t opened! I was too busy.
I wish I could take credit for the sand dune photo Fennymun, but, my husband took that one. He was waiting for just the right moment. I’m already thinking about my ceramic work!