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| 420 town of Trinidad CO. |
Rolling into Trinidad CO. was a bit of a time warp. Nestled in the hills at the edge of the Spanish Peaks Wildlife Area, Trinidad was well stocked for modern convenience, food, water, gas, booze, pot. It is legal you know....... booze! We did some restocking of provisions of all types, talked to a few local folks and headed for Trinidad Lake State Park.
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| Trinidad Lake State Park CO. |
Went through the Reserve America fumble and after a $10. reservation fee $7. park permit, $18. camp fee, we settled into a spot on the lake. It was a dry site with a burn ban, no running water, and vault toilets. We camped with a half a dozen other campers, and in the morning after breaky we drove over to the RV sites where we showered and filled our water tank. Anxious to get back on the TAT we picked it up just north of El Moro CO. CR 75.0 Rd. to the Black Hills then west to Ludlow CO. on CR 44.0 Rd. Winding are way north on the TAT we land in La Veta CO.
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| Primitive Road to Dunes and Medano Pass |
Here we decided to take a spur west on Interstate 160 to
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve. As you drive in from Interstate 160, go right on hwy 150, around 25 miles in you get your first glimpse of the
Great Sand Dunes, the tallest dunes in
North America. Here sits 11 percent of North America's sand- a 330-square-mile deposit. Located against the rugged
Sangre de Cristo mountains this is a desert depending on water, with many creeks like
Medano Creek feeding the
Great Sand Dunes underground aquapher. The sand only moves to change the shape of the Dunes as the heat of the day can bring Dune temps in to 140 degree range. On our stay we experienced some high temps which lead us for kicking back and reading or as Trixie did it by stretching out on the exercise mat.
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| Getting through the Medano Pass |
For camping we preferred wheeling over
Medano Pass Primitive Road, a rough 22 mile road connecting Great Sand Dunes with the Wet Mountain Valley and Colorado State Highway 69. It is passable only in warmer months and only with high-clearance 4WD vehicles it has 21 primitive campsites plus 9 water crossings on the Medano creek. Sign us UP!! Once we found all the info and maps we provisioned up, gas, ice, water, beer and firewood. Pulling up to the trail head we aired down, shifted into 4WD and started wheeling. Up the bumpy winding trail, we often caught majestic views of the dunes and surrounding mountains, weaving our rig through the pass was a pleasure, to say the least!. The visual contrast was breath-taking as Trixie ooo'd and aaahed while holding on as we maneuved the trail.
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| Sand Trap!! |
Soft sugary sand means only 18-22lbs of tire pressure, 4WD high, second gear. We plowed our way on powdery marshmallows of ultra fine sand. Necks sore as we scanned the cliffs for a glimpse of Rocky Mountain sheep, black bear, elk, or falcon. Water crossings are always fun, even though some are shallow the excitement of spanning a body of moving water was just Cool!! We were very cool as we climbed the pass choosing our campsite next to an icy-cold creek.
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| Dry Camp site Medano Pass |
Our open-air site was planted with Cedars, Aspens, Douglas Firs and Narrow-Leaf cottonwoods. By night we were visited by deer and the hoots of owls, hearing them in the distance giving a hoot or three. By day squirrels and chipmunks scurried around while robins and song birds foraged. A lone sharp eyed Falcon flew overhead floating effortlessly on thermals, looking for a bite. Our creek babbled with small fish. It was a welcome spot to call home for the 4 days and to cool your feet and sooth your mind.
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| First Water Crossing Medano Creek |
We dry camped here for 4 nights taking a side trip into town for provisions and to tour the Visitor Center. Another day we tripped up to the top of
Medano pass, el. 10,040 feet, up, up ,up to the last 2.5 mile hill climb. We stopped here for lunch on the gulch trail next to an abandoned lean-to campsite. Back down we crossed all 9 water crossings again! What a great trail ride with its narrow rocks and hairpin sharp turns. Back at base camp our last night before crossing the pass we indulged
ourselves with charcoal grilled rib-eye steaks and steamed broccoli.
Sitting under the stars with a 3/4 moon showing the way, we turned in
early.
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| Abandon Lean-to |
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| Top of Medano Pass CO. |
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| Mountains, Dunes contrast |
We were ready to get back over the pass, hook up to the
TAT and then off to
Salida CO. We pulled out of base camp the next morning after coffee and hit the trail. .
Medano Pass to
Wet Mountain Valley and Colorado State Highway 69,
Gardner CO north to
Colpaxie Co CR 2 across the
Waugh MTN. EL. 11,718ft then a winding scenic road down to
Salida CO.
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| Looking for another pass to climb!! |
Picking up the
TAT outside of
Salida after a 2 night stay just to shower up!
See you on the Trail!!!
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