The next morning after our somewhat laborious hike we left Colorado Springs and drove to South Fork, where we had rented a cabin. On the way to our destination we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. In the informational video at the visitor's center every time the park was mentioned the whole name had to be spelled out. So to give it full justice I will say it again: Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Theatrics aside, the park was very cool and beautiful! We had good weather, although it was a little hot. The river that usually flows through the park had dried up due to drought, so after walking around the dunes for a bit we took respite in the air conditioned visitor's center.
Another tourist attraction we enjoyed while in South Fork was the Chimney Rock National Monument, a newly established national site for ruins of ancient peoples. These ruins were situated on Chimney Rock because of the astrological importance of the location. Or so we were told. It seemed a plausible explanation as any, but we must take every thing with a grain of salt. Speaking of salt, our tour guide was very well educated in the geology of the area and did his best to pass on the information to us. I should have paid better attention, maybe some of what he said could help me in my Earth Science class this semester.
On the way back from Chimney Rock we stopped in Pagosa Springs so Mom could reap the enjoyment to seeing some of the Springs in action. We also did a small hike to a waterfall near Wolf Creek Pass.
That pretty much sums up our summer family vacation (albeit -1 family member). We did have a bit of an unplanned adventure on the way back, but that is a story for another time.
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