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Edgar and Eleonora

Edgar?
Elenora?

The Crows of White Sands National Monument are a joy to interact with on the dunes.

Of course, it is impossible to look at them and not think of Edgar Allen Poe and quote the Raven “Nevermore” but these birds love to mess with the maintenance volunteers.

They sit on top of the picnic tables and wait for people to put there trash in the bins.

eagle eye

Soon as no one is around they double team the trash cans, one holds the swinging flap open and the other picks out the trash.

dumpster diver

And when they are done they just leave it, you can’t teach crows to pack it in and pack it out.

Seriously though these guys are part of the White Sands experience and should be treasured.

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Volunteering

and healing.

November-December 2018

Leading up to my first gig volunteering I was excited as a kid in a candy store. It turned out to be everything I expected and more.

The six weeks that I spent at White Sands National Monument was the 1 year anniversary of the hardest six weeks of my entire life. The time that my husband spent in CCU before passing away.

After orientation, my maintenance duties on the sands became my healing tool. All by myself cruising the park picking up trash I cried, re lived and cherished the twenty years I had with my husband. And came away in a much better frame of mind.

If you have never visited White Sands you must add it to your list and you have to experience it early in the morning when the Sands look like diamonds, as the day warms the sparkle is harder to see but it’s still there.

My view Mount Sierra Blanca.

The drive into the dunes.

A Cold Front and a total whiteout.

Mid day.
Dunes

Leroy Brown

I met the owners and restorers of this VW van named Leroy Brown on their maiden trip from Colorado. They did a great job restoring this beauty.

Thinking about Volunteering? Do it. It is rewarding to help and what a great way to get to know our National Treasures.

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Great Sand Dunes

September 2018

I love the San Luis Valley of Colorado and the ride to The Great Sand Dunes National Park from Blanca is below Mt Blanca and as you approach the Park you begin to see the Dunes off in the distance.

I did not stay at the Pinon Flats campground but I did check it out and the views are stupendous.

The visitor center has a film and exhibits and a great deck.

You can walk among the dunes and at certain times of the year there is water from Medano Creek to wade in.

Definitely worth it if you are anywhere near.

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Back to Cheyenne WY

July 2018

For most travelers this is a one day drive, but not me. A two-day trip gives me time to go slow and take in the scenery, traveling without a co-driver means I have to stop to get a good look.

This trip to Cheyenne I am staying at  AB Camping Park, a good sam park with a wonderful BBQ Restaurant. Even if you don’t park here, you have to come to eat.

While waiting for a decision to be made on my toad, my insurance policy gives me a rental so it’s off to Rocky Mountain National Park for the day.

One thing that I learned on this drive is that I would not like to drive the Ridge Road in my RV, it is narrow, it is high, and I wouldn’t fit in every pull off which I could in my rental car.  I also had altitude problems at the Alpine Station.

I did get to capture some nice pics though. This beautiful valley.

And this overlook.

I went back to Cheyenne through the Roosevelt National Forest.

One high point of the day is seeing Elk. I didn’t get to stop to take a pic because the Rangers were herding them away from the highway but it was the first elk I have seen that wasn’t behind a high fence in Texas.

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Dinosaurs and The Badlands

June 2018

If you read my earlier post about Agate Fossil Beds then you know I like dinos but mostly the bone kind, however, there seems to be an abundant supply of large green dinosaurs in the Rapid City area.

There is one on the top of a hill in Rapid City that I haven’t found the way up to yet, but it’s on my list.

And then there is this one.

I’m tooling down the rt44  on the way to The Badlands, and this large dinosaur is sitting in the middle of a field. This one I turned around for, so I could get a picture to prove that there are dinosaurs everywhere.

The little town of Scenic is. Next, I got a nice picture of the old Jail but nothing was opened when I went through, but there are signs of life, maybe another time.

Approaching the Badlands National Park, there is excellent scenery even before to enter the park itself.

Once inside it is amazing.

Plenty of trails to hike both short and long and all are ” take your breath away” beautiful.

After stopping at the Visitor Center for my passport stamp and token, I headed back west on the loop road and stopped every chance I could to take in the wildlife.

I did go up to Wall SD but didn’t stop this time it was to busy.