National Parks Discovery: Adventure Family McDowell: 2017

Friday, September 15, 2017

#5 Great Sand Dunes National Park

Great Sand Dunes National Park

Square Miles: 134.2 square miles
Annual Visitors
When we visited: September, 2017
Where we stayed: Pinon Flats Campground, Site #50
The route to get there:
Trails we took:

Mountains, sand dunes and a river. What an interesting combination of elements. So excited that we get to visit our fifth National Park this weekend. We will be heading south to the Great Sand Dunes National Park in southern Colorado. I have heard amazing things about this place, not least of all how much fun there is to be had. Among other things we are looking forward to sledding on the dunes and playing in the river at the base.

While up there, I was able to figure out what makes them look so velvety from a distance. There seems to be a layer of sand on the sand, that is maybe a different combination of sand particles? They are bigger and lighter in color. It collects in places looking like highlights on the dunes and giving it that velvet soft look. If anyone has any input on that, I'd be interested to know why that is.

We learned a few things this past weekend. One: national parks are always inspiring. Never plan to spend just one night. This was the second time we thought we would just "cross it off the list" by getting one night in the park. That was a mistake. As usual, the place is beautiful with so much to explore. We barely scratched the surface.

Second, always come prepared. Even when the forecast says there is only a 1% chance of rain, well, there is still a chance. We left our camp to go hike and before we returned, it has started to rain...no, downpour. We had confidence that it wasn't going to rain - didn't even think about it - and therefore did not put the rain fly on the tent. I had also not packed rain gear. Be sure to always pack rain gear.

What a downer to find your sleeping place covered in puddles. But, thank goodness for "water proof" sleeping bags that are actually water proof.

Third, if you buy an annual pass - don't forget to bring it. It's also really helpful if you have a fourth grader to get in to the parks for free, but only if you bring the printout that you receive after registering your fourth grader. Wah Wah Wah.

Learn from our mistakes.

We camped at Pinon Flats campground, site #50 (which is right in the middle of a large flow of water when it downpours BTW). It was a pleasant site right on the Dune Trail and adjacent to the bathrooms.

I found this campground to have a lot of useful amenities. Ie. there was a bear proof cupboard right in the site. So helpful! The bathrooms had flush toilets and sinks for dish washing.

We did the recommended activities in and around the park in the time we had. To begin with, we took an exploratory hike on the Dune Trail to the (what do you know?) the dunes. It brought us right to the Medano River, which was mostly dried up by this time of year.

However, just because there is only an inch of water flowing instead of the regular foot or so - doesn't mean it isn't still very entertaining. I wish that we had more time to just sit by the 'river' and play. I recommend bringing some beach chairs and a picnic for just that activity.

After that little hike, we drove out to Zapata Falls. It's a couple miles outside of the park and up a very bumpy 3-mile road. Then, you hoof it for about .5 miles to a sweet slot canyon with a high water fall. The hike actually takes you through the river, so be prepared with water shoes. We enjoyed it quite a bit. Great views on the way back, too, of the largest valley in Colorado.

We came back to the downpour and darkness which put a damper on dinner and the ranger presentation we had hoped to attend: "Half the Park is After Dark". I heated up the pepperoni pizza sliders for dinner between down pours and then we ate in the car.

The next day, after a bagel sandwich breakfast and fruit we broke camp down. We wanted to get to play and sled on the dunes before they hit the 130 degree temps. We headed to the Oasis Restaurant where you can rent the sleds. I would recommend bringing your own because it was very expensive.

Riding on the dunes was an experience (I think, I didn't do it...but the kids did). It requires hiking on hot sand uphill - so it can be intense. But the sled rides and views from the dunes are incredible.'

Our trip was short, but incredibly sweet.

I would love to hear any of your experiences from the Great Sand Dunes National Park. Was anyone else fooled by the weather? Did anyone see any bears in this bear country?

5 Parks down and 54 left to go! Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park are up next.

Pinon Flats Campground, site 50

The sand is magnetized. We also experienced another event that had happened once before and now it was explained. Apparently, when lightning strikes sand, it can magnetize certain particles in the sand. So, if you set your tripod in the sand that has magnetized feet - all those particles stick to it. This also happened at Lake Michigan and now we know what it is: magnetite! The experiment in this video looks like fun to try.

Sand sledding at Great Sand Dunes

Medano Creek water level in early September, warm enough to play in

Alas, our time was up at the dunes. On the way out, we ate lunch at the recommended Oasis Restaurant and weren't disappointed. We also had to stop at Colorado Gators and get our certificate of bravery for holding an alligator.

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

#2 Badlands, #3 Wind Cave and #4 Theodore Roosevelt National Park

Badlands National Park, Wind Cave National Park, Theodore Roosevelt National Park

When we visited: June 16-24, 2017
Where we stayed:
The route to get there:
Trails we took:
Activities:

Wind Cave National Park - Established January 9, 1903 by Theodore Roosevelt
Badlands National Park - Established as National Park November 10, 1978
Theodore Roosevelt National Park - November 10, 1978 by President Carter

Highlights from the trip:

turning out the lights inside the "Fairgrounds" area in Wind Cave. You've never seen dark like that before!
camping remotely at Sage Creek Campground in Badlands National Park and learning how to throw the atlatl, an ancient weapon by a park ranger.
being visited by a large bison right in our camp site at Theodore Roosevelt National Park around 11PM. He was munching on the grasses surrounding our secluded site for about 15 minutes. He was so close we could smell him!
shooting stars and wild horses, meeting Theodore Roosevelt, eating bison filet mignon, camping at base of Devil's Tower, and more!

Little video suggesting a thing to do for fun in the wilderness.

#1 Mesa Verde National Park

Mesa Verde National Park

Visited by McDowell Family: June 3-9, 2017

Mancos, Colorado

Established June 26, 1906 President Theodore Roosevelt established Mesa Verde National Park to "preserve the works of man," the first national park of its kind.

Tent camped at Mancos State Campground, 7 nights

First off, it’s a cuesta. Not a mesa.

cues·ta

ˈkwestə/

noun

GEOLOGY

1. a ridge with a gentle slope (dip) on one side and a steep slope (scarp) on the other.

me·sa

ˈmāsə/

noun

1. an isolated flat-topped hill with steep sides, found in landscapes with horizontal strata.

I didn’t know there was any such thing, but now I see them everywhere!

And if anyone wants to recreate these amazing lodgings in the side of the canyon walls, we will gladly book a stay with you. They are so amazing. All inclusive, water seeps right from the walls, warm and/or cool when needed, amazing views. They’re a little tough to navigate to by having to climb up and down steep paths and tall ladders.

And their “doors”? More like windows, tiny windows. These were a little people. It was very entertaining to watch my 6’4” husband try to maneuver the openings.

BTW, the “ancestral puebloans” is now the politically correct term for the ancient people who lived there long ago. They no longer say “Anasazi”. The term “Anasazi” means “enemy of the natives”. These guys weren’t enemies! They were easy-going, creative and intelligent. There doesn’t appear there to be any aggressive behavior in their history at all. They were even vegetarians, surviving mainly on corn and beans.

These people intrigued us quite a bit. Why did they move into the cliffs? Why did they stay only 100 years? Where did they really go? We spent some time around the campfire discussing these interesting questions and developing our own hypotheses.

My theory is that they got really bored of eating only corn and just had to move on to find a new crop. We tried listing corn dishes, but something tells me they didn’t have corn chowder or corn frites? My husband thinks that they wore out the soil and entered a time of famine.

While in Mesa Verde, don't be fearful of the tours with kids (they do sound scary). Instead, be one of the very few who go beyond just staring at the park from above and actually descend down into it.

Participate in the tours, read the history, go to the Ranger’s presentations, camp in the park. Learn all you can. It brings it all to life. This goes for all of the parks. By doing this, our lives have been enriched already.

We spent two days in the actual park. The first day we explored the views of the dwellings from the rims while we waited for our tours to begin. We toured Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Balcony House was by far, our favorite. The second day we explored Weatherill Mesa by bike. We took the 6 mile loop and explored the ruins on the mesa tops. It was hot. But, a fairly easy and short ride.

Andrew decided he would like to live in the cliff dwellings. They would make a very fascinating airbnb listing, that's for sure. The small tunnels and 32 foot ladder climbs may be a slight deterrant to some, however. But don't let those things stop you from visiting with small kids.

If you've been to Mesa Verde, what is your favorite memory? I will never forget climbing that 32-foot ladder side by side with my son. It was nerve wracking and yet, here we survived!

Mesa Verde Videos and Reading List