The Sands of Time

START:      Alamosa, CO          TODAY:             236  Miles

END:          Lamar, CO              TOTAL:          4,507  Miles

CAMPGROUND:  Lamar Sportsman RV & Horse Motel

Feeling a little slow this morning we took our time having eggs and fruit for breakfast.  Then we readied the trailer to get underway.  As we headed East, the mountains surrounded us by 360 degrees.  We soaked in this sight knowing that flat land was ahead of us as we head home. 

We had beautiful vistas even before we entered the Great Sand Dunes National Park.

The film at the Visitor Center outlined the interdependency of wind, water, sand, mountains and wetlands to develop and maintain this unique area.  Many young people were carrying saucers and sand boards prepared for fun on the dunes.

Leaving the park, the land opened into the beautiful San Luis Valley of yellow wild flowers and distant mountains.  Shortly after that we drove through the San Luis Pass with mountains covered by evergreens and birch trees.

Heading East, we followed the Santa Fe Trail which has a rich history.  In the 1800s this was the major supply wagon route through five states; Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, New Mexico and Oklahoma.  Meaning, of course the supply wagon trains rolled right through native American Indian territory.  Actually in the 1200s there was evidence of goods  being transferred from village to village along the same routes through the ancient tribes.

The western towns were few and far between today.  We pulled into the campground and horse hotel about 4:00 p.m. and plan to pull out early tomorrow headed for Kansas.