A BIG SURPRISE AWAITS YOU IN COLORADO!

      I discovered the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve maybe twenty years ago while watching PBS one night. Sand dunes in Colorado? I had been out there quite a few times in my lifetime and never heard anyone mention sand dunes.

      There are sand dunes on the south shore of Lake Michigan in Indiana and lots of huge dunes in Michigan, but Colorado? I had to check it out. About ten years ago while making a wide sweep of the state and heading back up toward the Royal Gorge, I had the pleasure of a lifetime.

     Coming down the back range from Summit County area I kept heading south from Salida. At some point I could see this massive area of what appeared to be just "white." I can't say how many miles away from these dunes we were, but, it was a long long way.

      When finally arriving there, it was sheer sand and pilled up to over 400 feet and who knows how many square miles. It was unbelievable. I won't bore you with why it was formed and all that, but, it is worth checking out. One of the many wonders in this country. And, it has not been a federal park all that long.