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Writer's pictureKes the Photobean

Week 1: Mesa Verde, The Great Sand Dunes, and a Slight Detour

Updated: Nov 23, 2021

September 13th, 2021


The beginning.


It’s finally happening. After five years of talking about it, and a year of planning, we’re finally leaving on our Gap Year. Of course, nothing about these last two weeks has gone according to plan. Why should our first official day be any different?


Before I talk about our first official day as free spirited travelers, I feel like I need to summarize the 72 hours leading up to it.


The anxiety of leaving really hit when major parts of the Teardrop weren’t finished yet, and we only had a few days before we were supposed to leave. The “Final Push,” as I like to think of it, consisted of working on the Teardrop from 7AM to 9PM for days at a time. We woke up, puttered about the garage, ate a brief lunch, worked more, ate dinner, and worked yet again until we couldn’t anymore. If it weren’t for the old 50’s tunes playing in the background, I don’t think we would have finished in time.


Even packing was brutal. Sam and I were running around the house until 1AM just collecting the things we needed to bring. Morale, at that point, was low. It’s hard going to sleep when there’s still so much to do. Even worse is having more packing to do in the face of a deadline; our dastardly optimistic past selves scheduled a tour at Mesa Verde that same afternoon, and the window to leave in time was small. Note to self: don’t do that again.


Finally, after working nonstop for days on end, we said our goodbyes, got in the Jeep, and closed the doors. God, it felt so good just to sit down.


 

Mesa Verde


We left about half an hour too late. It stung to realize we were so close to getting to the park in time, but still too far to make our tour. For those interested in visiting and touring Mesa Verde: make sure to account for an extra 45 minutes of drive time after entering the park.


Honestly though, looking back, I’m kind of glad we missed that tour.


Mesa Verde National Park is an incredible area. Ancestral Pueblo People lived there for 700 years, both on top of the mesas as well as within their cliffs. I only have a memory of a memory from my time visiting as a kid, so I really had no expectations for what we would experience.


Any annoyance at missing the tour quickly washed away as we began to drive into the park. The road climbed at a steady pace, taking us far enough into the sky to see everything in the valleys beneath us. The mountains far ahead of us had such character, and each roadside pullout had every bit of information I could have asked for. I’m not even kidding when I say that those plaques of information made me fall in love with this park. From the geology of the area to the history of the roads, my jaw kept dropping. Whoever wrote those needs to get promoted.


I would also like to note that the park brochure does such an amazing job of being respectful to the cultural history that Mesa Verde holds. It’s obvious that the park rangers maintain a relationship with the tribes that descended from these Ancestral Pueblo People. It’s made plain to any who visit that this place is still very much alive with the spirits of the past.




Even though Sam and I missed our tour, we really enjoyed driving around the park together. Our minds were collectively blown imagining the way of life these Ancestral People experienced; they used freakin’ toe holds and ropes to get in and out of their pueblo homes!

 

The First Night


After collecting our brain goop, we made our way to our campsite.


Our very first campsite!


I’ve camped in Teardrop 1.0 a lot, but finally setting up 2.0 between the trees and in front of the mountains felt so different this time.

Cooking outside in the galley is always so much fun. But this time was special. Standing there, with the sun setting on our first day, I was a little shocked as to how . . . comfortable I felt with it all. It might sound crazy, but, for the first time in a long time, I finally felt at home.


I think it’s safe to say that I was a very happy camper in that moment.

 

Journey to the Dunes


The first morning was just as wonderful as the first evening. I won’t go into too much detail, mostly because the details are pretty boring. After all, who enjoys reading about my thorough teeth scrubbing? All I’ll say is I’m so happy we finally get to have these mornings.


On the way to the Sand Dunes, we stopped in Durango to meet up with my aunt, uncle, and cousin for brunch. We showed off the Teardrop, as one does when dragging around such a beauty. Thanks for stopping with us and wishing us well on our journey ahead! It really does mean a lot.

 

The Great Sand Dunes


Growing up in New Mexico, my friends all had stories about boarding down the dunes in Colorado. Since then, this national park was number one on my list of parks to visit for years. When I finally got the chance to cross it off, I was so giddy with excitement.


This was one of my best photos from that first trip.

The first time I went was around the same time last year with our old roommates from Fort Collins. We didn’t make it too far into the dunes during that first trip, but we kept glancing at the highest dune in the park, far out in the distance. Star Dune. Reaching this sandy peak naturally had to be our next goal. But I’m getting ahead of myself.



During the drive through the San Luis Valley, my eyes were glued to the clouds swarming above us. The great big sky above was swirling and shaking and threatened to dump rain all over us. All I wanted was to jump out of the car and capture the patterns the sky was showing me.


Sam and I pulled into a campsite just outside of the park. Our friends David and Rachel were close behind us in their own jeep.



The sky was still dark and churning when the wind and rain hit. Thankfully, setting up the Teardrop takes only 10 minutes or so. Unfortunately, David and Rachel weren’t so lucky. They were in the middle of putting together their tent when a gust of wind blew sand and rain all over their gear. Another gust threw their box like a tumbleweed. I knew I needed to join Sam, who was already in the comfort and warmth of the Jeep, but I just stood there and watched poor David run after his box.


Well, I also had my camera -- so now I have the pleasure of sharing their struggles.



The little patch of sky above us cleared up soon enough, leaving the rest of the valley with some of the most spectacular clouds I’ve ever seen. I may have gotten a liiiiiiiittle photo happy because I absolutely love clouds, not to mention stormy clouds near sunset.



The four of us sat and watched the sun set as we ate. As the golden hours melted into the night, we enjoyed each other’s company. These easy going moments with friends are always going to be some of my favorites.


This is David and Rachel's kitchen, set up right beside ours
 

The next morning, we prepared for our trek. Boards in tow, our bare feet marched across the first of the sand.


We took a break once we reached High Dune, one of the more trafficked dunes. From there, we could see our shining goal: Star Dune. We estimated about three miles between us and where we wanted to be. At that point, we were feeling pretty good about our journey. That . . . may have changed as we got closer.



As the sun climbed higher in the sky, walking across the sand was almost unbearably hot. Soon, we had to put socks on before our feet got blistered and burned. Those socks quite possibly saved my life.


This is when the tone of our little adventure began to change. Soon the only footprints in the sand, aside from our own, belonged to the creatures that somehow live here. The dunes began to grow steeper and taller, and hiking them did not become any easier.


Eventually, our low water supply and drained energy reserves told us we needed to turn back. If I had to guess, I’d say we were a mile away from reaching Star Dune. I’m glad we turned back when we did, though, because that would have been the last mile of my life.


The return trip was a beast all in itself. But we made it, somehow. Pro tip: always leave extra water in your car when you leave for a long hike. Nothing feels better than dodging dehydration.


Our trip to the Sand Dunes was so rewarding, despite the fact that Star Dune still remains untouched by our bare feet. Looks like we’ll have to make a third trip here, and I’m so excited.


 

The SLIGHT DETOUR


We were planning on staying another night and checking out some Jeep trails the next day. Unfortunately, those plans had to change.


Earlier, Sam noticed an issue on the Teardrop. The brackets that supported the suspension were breaking, and we needed to fix it before we went any further on our trip. However, we needed tools that we didn’t have with us.




So, that meant we had to make a slight detour. Back to New Mexico. Where we started.


It’s odd, because I wasn’t too upset by this when Sam broke the news. For some reason, this didn’t feel like a failure. Not once did I think this would be the end to our trip. In fact, this was to be expected. There’s a reason we chose to camp so close to home in the first place. Go us for planning so well.

 

I’d like to note that both our parents were incredibly helpful as we rushed to get the repairs done. My dad helped Sam a lot with the logistics. Sam’s mom made dinner and helped us with our laundry. My mom made us enchiladas to take on the road, and even my little brother assisted me with some blanket folding. Sam’s dad, of course, had a huge hand in keeping our repairs quick. In all, it took us from 1 PM to 9:30 PM to make all the fixes we needed.


Sam and I went to bed with smiles on our faces. We were ecstatic that we could get back on the road as quickly as we left it. A nice bonus was the Chile Works burritos we got ourselves on the way out.


Where to now? Of course, we had to pick up where we left off. So, with our teardrop now “able to take a nuke,” as Sam put it, we drove back to the Great Sand Dunes.


Our next order of business: drive beside the dunes and across the mountains through Medano Pass. This rough, 24-mile stretch of road is complete with a tight squeeze, creek crossings, and sand pits. If the Teardrop can handle this, she can handle anything.


What better time to test our new repairs?

 

NEXT WEEK


We’ll be driving through Medano Pass,


making our way to a long-awaited concert,


and crossing over to Wyoming!



I wonder what other unexpected things will happen to us next? I can’t wait to find out.


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