Sand, sun and water

After descending from the 9000 foot pass, we had breakfast at Sand Dunes National Monument.  Patricia and I were both somewhat tired, but also exhilarated by the scenery.  Breakfast provided ample opportunity to test the new bug spray from Kansas.

The dunes are the most dramatic, fabulous play space.  A magical sand box of steep mountains of sand bounded by a shallow river filled with shifting sand bars that one must cross to reach the dunes.

Miriam and Anna loved the river, and both were very reluctant to leave when it was time to go.  The water at midday had warmed, and both loved plunging themselves into it, reveling in the marvel of the flowing, lovely, and pleasantly shallow water mixed with eroding sand.

Initially we all hiked together up the dunes.  By volunteering to retrieve a run-away sled, I built a connection with a family who had rented one of the dune sleds.  

Eventually it became apparent that Miriam was done hiking up the increasingly hot dunes.  Leah and Patricia stayed on a ridge of sand with Miriam while the rest of us pressed on up the mountain of sand. 

Sometimes I carried Anna.  Sometimes Anna walked.  Sometimes we stopped for a break. 
The view from the top: Water, mountains, and sand dunes.  The soft sand invited flying or sliding down its surfaces, while the succession of higher dunes tempted deeper exploration of this thirty square miles of drifted sand. 

But the sun was hot, and our water bottles were nearly drained.  Leaving David and Sarah to explore just a bit further, Anna and I collected cardboard boxes abandoned by other sliders, and slid hundreds of feet in a slow-controlled descent.  My pockets and wallet were full of sand for days afterwards.