The Way I See It . . .: Colorado 2013: Day 4

June 5, 2013: We got up at 4:30 this morning, to drive out to the Dunes for sunrise. The sky got lighter as we drove northeast. Bob has a theory about how the sun will rise behind the mountains and how it will shine on the dunes. We'll see how it plays out.

On the road to the park, we almost hit a very large jack rabbit, and a few minutes later, we saw a majestic elk standing on a dune. He wasn't in a hurry to get away and we followed him for a while, both with the car and the camera. The light was still pre-dawn and the photos are grainy, but it was exciting to spend a few exciting minutes with this magnificent creature!

Pre-dawn

Elk!

When we got to the Dunes, it was raw, windy and cold. It took a long time after the actual sunrise for the sun to make it over the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. It wasn't quite what I expected to see, but it was still exciting to be the only ones there watching the sunrise. Eventually two other cars showed up, but we still felt like we had this entire natural wonder to ourselves for a short time, and it was great to get a different perspective than what we saw the day before.

Foggy Sangre de Cristo Mountains

Sunrise!

Once the sun had risen above the mountains, we headed back toward Alamosa, stopping to take some photos at the Rio Grande on the way. Once we returned to the motel, had breakfast and checked out, we headed west toward Durango. We made a stop along the way at the Monte Vista Wildlife Preserve where we saw a previously unknown bird - a Yellow-headed Blackbird. After leaving the preserve, we continued west on Route 160 over a high mountain pass near Pagosa Springs, where the temperature suddenly dropped nearly 40 degrees, and slushy snow fell for a few minutes. But the view from the top of the pass was spectacular.

The Rio Grande in Alamosa

Yellow-Headed Blackbird @Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge

Storm Clouds at Monte Vista

Rain Shower

Wolf Creek Pass on Route 160

We arrived in Durango late afternoon, pleasantly surprised by this thriving little city. We checked into our motel and had dinner at a brew pub, sitting outside, surrounded by wonderful mountains on three sides. After dinner we checked out the Animas River Walk and surrounding parks! What a great little city this is! I totally understand the attraction that has made this one of the top sought-after retirement cities in the US.

Pedestrian Bridge over Animas River Walk in Durango