San Luis Valley, CO - May 31 - June 6, 2009

After our month long stay in Santa Fe we started moving quickly north on US Route 285.  Well, since it took us eight days to travel less than 400 miles from Santa Fe to Denver - we weren't exactly moving at lightning speed.

Route 285 took us through the majestic San Luis Valley.  The valley is bounded by 14,000 ft. snow-capped mountains and is carved by swift rivers such as the Rio Grande, Arkansas, Alamosa and Conejos.

Antonito: May 31 - June 1, 2009
Our first stop was the Conejos River Campground about 12 miles west of the tiny town of Antonito.  The RV park was pleasant, the owners very friendly and helpful.  We were told the Conejos River is an excellent flyfishing stream, so we may return to the area at some future date to try our skills at tricking some dumb fish. 

However, on this trip we were in the region to ride the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad 64-mile route was built in 1880 as part of the San Juan extension of the Rio Grande Railroad.  The narrow gauge railroad was originally built to serve Colorado's silver mines but was abandoned in 1969.  It was reopened as a scenic railroad in 1974.

On Monday morning we caught the bus from Antonito, CO to Chama, NM.  It was a beautiful ride through the high Rockies.  We then boarded the train for our return trip to Antonito, climbing over the 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass, and stopping in Osier for lunch.  It is a wonderful, scenic trip, but we advise you to be prepared to scrub the smell of coal smoke and cinders from your skin, hair and clothing at the end of the journey.

Great Sand Dunes National Park: June 2 -4, 2009
Our next stop was the San Luis Lakes State Park just west of the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve.  We had a great site with fabulous views across the shallow San Luis Lake to the snow-capped Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The aptly named Great Sand Dunes are the tallest (up to 750 ft. tall) in North America and cover about 330 square miles.  They are a delightful surprise.  Who would expect to find gigantic sand dunes in the middle of the Rocky Mountains?  Actually, it is the mountains that created the dunes.  The simplified explanation, guaranteed to make a geologist shudder, is that sand is blown from the western San Juan range and is captured by the taller Sangre de Cristos on the east.  A few grains here, a few grains there - repeat for a million years - Voila!  Sand dunes.

We took two hikes while in the area.  Our first was to Mosca Pass in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.  But the signature hike was to the top of High Dune (not the tallest in the park).  Climbing a 650-foot dune is not an easy task - unless you are a 12 year old.  The kids would hike to the top of the dunes then sled or tumble down the sandy peaks - then scramble back up.  Granted, they didn't do it many times, but once was all we could manage.

The stark beauty of the dunes is truly awesome.  We highly recommend a side trip to the park.  The National Park has a campground (first come, first served), for tents and smaller RVs.  We recommend the San Luis Lake State Park, which has large sites and electric service, as the best choice in the area for those with larger RVs.

Royal Gorge, CO - June 5 - 6, 2009
Our next stop was Heart of the Rockies Campground just west of Salida, Colorado.  The campground appears to be a former KOA that is currently down-on-its-luck, but adequate for a couple of nights stay.  Our objective:  Testing Susan's notoriously low tolerance for edges at Royal Gorge Bridge Park, in Canon City.  The Royal Gorge Bridge spans the canyon at a heart-stopping 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River.

If walking across the bridge isn't frightening enough, one could trust ones life to a steel cable and take the gondola across the gorge.  An unintentionally amusing sign inside the gondola advises passengers if "this car stops unexpectedly remain calm and inside the cabin".  Sage advice.  That first step could really be a killer.

The park also has an incline railway that takes passengers to the bottom of the gorge to get a close view of the white water rafters on the river, the elegant Royal Gorge train - and an alternative view (from below) of the highest suspension bridge in the world.  The rafting looked like a great adventure, and the train seemed like a very civilized way to see the magnificent Royal Gorge.

Next stop… Denver.