We woke up in our hotel room Friday morning, rested from actually getting to sleep in a real bed for the night. We had planned on spending one more day in Colorado, but I was ready to get home and be back in our familiar routine. So we hit the road again, and drove until we came to Sand Dune National Park.
Everyone knows that walking/running/hiking in sand is like a bad dream where you're going nowhere fast. I was so sore from the last week of hiking, and summiting Mt. Elbert the day before, but I was so anxious to see more of this mysterious, random desert in the middle of the mountains.
So we spent a couple hours hiking...
Burying Hunter...
And digging our feet in the cool sand. It was so beautiful, I think I could have stayed there all day.
But we had a long trip ahead of us, with 9 and a half hours on the road before we would reach home, and find out the biggest news of our lives.
next: Coming home (and a little souvenir from our trip)
39 comments:
Beautiful and epic. LOVE these :)
Can you guys take me on a trip? I only know Michigan (where I worked) and California (where I have friends), but I always thought the US is so large, I don't even know where to go. We have been to Sleeping Bear Dunes on Lake Michigan, also amazing, but this looks really large. And I am so excited for you guys for the baby and your news you will know in a couple of hours / days. Good luck - it will make so much more real.
Again, I feel as though I've taken the trip with you. Such beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing these amazing parts of the country with us.
Much love and light to you and your growing family.
You guys are the cutest little family. I love your spirit of adventure, its so much fun to read your posts. (To answer your question from a couple posts ago, Hugo is 3 or 4 - we don't know because we adopted him but I will definitely take your advice and train him before we do any big hike.)
(You don't have to post this - just wanted to let you know in the 4th photo you wrote though instead of through)
:)
That looks like so much fun! You're pictures have me wanting to go to Colorado!
these photos are SO gorgeous. and i love that you're waiting a week before telling anyone else your big news -- how exciting and sweet and intimate. :) ps. nice pedicure.
Michigan has the Sleeping Bear Dunes and I have some great memories from when I was a kid. We even went on dune buggy rides! It's so beautiful out there.
What a nice ending for such an exciting trip! Have a nice weekend! xo
That second photo is aMAZing!
Thank you, every one!
Nicki- You could definitely spend a few hours hiking here, but they were actually smaller than they looked. The dunes are just so peculiar, built up against the side of a mountain.
And there are so many people places and parks to visit in California. Try looking into Yosemite, and Big Sur.
Steph- Thank you so much, I fixed it. I literally read over that 8 times to make sure I had it right. I guess that's what I get for editing photos at midnight :)
there are sooo many good hikes all around california. i live an hour from yosemite, we just bought a year pass :) I have YET to conquer half dome, but its my goal for next spring!
Stunning pictures! This looks like so much fun, but I can only imagine how tiring it was after being sore from all the hiking and THEN going to play in the sand.
Hunter looks so adorable buried haha
I love the artistry of your photos, but also the extra touch with photoshop.
This looks like a lot of fun! My friends that I went camping with last weekend are headed to the sand dunes this weekend.
This post is amazing! The idea that there would be sand dunes up next to mountains is hard to imagine. Lucky for us you have shared these beautiful photos. Was the sand like the sand you'd find at the beach? Just wondering.
Peace!
These photos are absolutely beautiful, and make me want to go to Colorado.
I also love the words and quotes you add to your photos.
<3 Kiersten
That's a lot of sand! Beautiful Aura, as always.
Julie
Just beautiful! It looked so peaceful and like you just had to give into it...ahhhh, I love moments like that :)
I have loved your vacation picture series. You capture such beautiful moments.
This has to be the most amazing thing I've ever seen - a mini beach/desert in the middle of a mountain range. SO cool. These images are beautiful.
seriously aura!! these photos are SO wonderful!
Such a beautiful and magical place. Thank you for taking us there!
Love your photos. Very cool blog.
Sand dunes are incredible fun. You captured them well with your camera. Thanks for the sweet comment on Mr & Mrs Globe Trot. Looks like you two have an adventurous spirit as well!
This place is so incredible! We went a couple months ago (except it was very hot!). We had to wear our shoes and I was worried the whole time that the sand was too hot for our dog's paws. She had a blast though!
My parents lived in the Alamosa area for several years and it was an awesome experience to go back to the same places they used to take me when I was a little girl. Oklahoma is my home, but a part of my heart is in Colorado!
holy s**t! these sand dunes are unbelievable! I've never been there but they're now on my Where-to-go-before-I'm-30 list.
p.s.
I hope that your family and especially you and your little baby are well. Best of luck!
And I wish that you won't stop traveling, I really like your photos and posts about it. looking forward to new ones! :)
i love these photos. everything looks so awesome...the sand, the sky, the cute dog buried in the sand. :)
Hi Aura,
If I gathered correctly, your next post will be about coming home and discovering you're going to be parents? If so, I'm really looking forward to this post and finding out what both yours and Michael's initial reaction was to the news? Had you been trying to fall pregnant, or was it a complete surprise? I finally realised the other day that for the first time in my life, I'd actually be content if I discovered tomorrow that I had accidently fallen pregnant. My husband and I aren't actively trying to fall, but we had the 'talk' the other day and decided that in the next 12 months or so, we'll be ready to try. It's an exciting and daunting feeling when you come to that realisation, that you're ready. I can't wait to read about what happened over those first few days of 'knowing'. I'm really excited for you and looking forward to reading about your growing family. Take care.
Looks great, really great these sand dunes. And once again, amazing pictures :) Hunter is so cute, those eyes makes me miss my dog, she is feeling ill and I think I wont be able to see her ever again, as she is getting too old sick and weak.. :(
Can't wait the coming home part and how your parents and grandparents got the news! :)
really great collection of photos
dallas
http://dillydallas.blogspot.com
so beautiful!! I love the photos of you burying hunter :)
Beautiful photos! I'd love to go to the sand dunes. Basically, I want to replicate your entire trip. :) We have some dunes 6 hrs from here and I've been meaning to go.
I love your blog! It really does bless me every time I read it. You are so inspiring and insightful!
Hello! I just found your blog! Your photos are amazing. your puppy looks like he is having the time of his life! Looking forward to reading more!
Those dunes are crazy! I have never even heard of this place before! I will have to stick it on my to do list. ;)
By far, my favorite place in Colorado! My photos look quite similar to these! What a beautiful place. The best part to me is that icy icy river! Did you happen to check out the ice cave down the road from there? Also lovely! Thank you for posting these, brought back memories.
Nice post
I love your site
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