Medano Pass Trip Report 2008
We started off the trip from the Safeway on Hwy 115 with 3 vehicles and cruised down to our favorite camping spot on Medano Pass. We have been fortunate enough to stay at a wonderful location next to the trail for the past several trips to the Sand Dunes.
Always when we schedule a trip to the Sand Dunes during July a major concern of the club is how to deal with the heat being reflected off of the Dunes. This year we were fortunate that a cold front moved into the area during the night and the temperatures dropped very significantly. We were also pleased that the front didn't bring any measurable amount of moisture to dampen the camping spirits.
The next morning Sam and Connie Giamarvo showed up just before we were scheduled to start on the trail. This gave us 4 vehicles to travel together on the trail. We enjoyed traveling the first portion of the trail through some dense forest, then made several creek crossings, went through some beauiful Aspen filled meadows before we arrived at the Sand Dunes. A couple of the ladies mentioned that they thought this was their favorite trip due to the beautiful settings.
At the Sand Dunes we met up with a couple more members of the club and spent a couple of hours with them playing on the dunes. The weather at the Dunes was absolutely perfect allowing us to enjoy some fun filled adventures playing on the Dunes and walking up and down Medano Creek.
On the way to the Visitor Center we exited at the rest stop to bag a Virutal Cache. From the information about the Geocache we learned that the Great Sand Dunes is the only place in North America with the contrast of Alpine Forest and Sand Dunes. At the Visitor Center we learned more about this incredible creation that God has given us before returning home the same way, via the Medano Pass.
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