Let me start by saying, WOW! Alamosa stole my heart from the moment we arrived. In the heart of the San Luis Valley, this charming town welcomed us with open arms and vistas that stretch for miles. The sense of tranquility here made it the perfect basecamp for our adventures. Our views of Blanca Peak were stunning and made the daily wind gusts less annoying...at least for me!

We arrived, set up and then headed to town to appease our growling bellies. Dinner at Knee Knockers (located at the Cattails Golf Course) came with plenty of entertainment! First a heavy downpour, then a hail storm and finally the tornado sirens! The staff was fabulous and so was the food. Plus it was fun to watch all the golfers race in trying to beat the storm!

When we arrived back at our campsite we were treated to the most beautiful rainbow! My cell photos don't do it justice but at one point it was a triple rainbow and so vibrant! I made Jody pull over several times to enjoy it.

Area Info & More

Spring time is a great time to visit the park! The temps were nice, averaging in the 60's while we were there. The mountains still had snow on them so they were beautiful to see. In fact, they found their way into quite a few (okay, most!) of my photos. According to the park website, April is the second snowiest month in Colorado!

We also took a ride up to the towns of Blanca and historic Fort Garland. We stopped at All-Gon Pizzeria where they are also famous for their fudge! Our pizza, the Cat Mountain (ham, pineapple and green chile) was delicious! We usually take half home for leftovers but this one didn't make it that far.

Let’s talk RV camping. Alamosa and the surrounding area offer some fantastic options for Rvers. Whether you prefer a spot with full hookups or want to boondock under the stars, you’ll find plenty of RV parks and campgrounds to choose from:

1. Pinyon Flats Campground (located inside Great Sand Dunes)

2. Base Camp Campground

3. Alamosa/Great Sand Dunes KOA Journey

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We camped on BLM (Bureau of Land Management) land just outside the park and it was the perfect spot (except for that wind!) to immerse ourselves in nature. Have I mentioned the mountain views?

Exploring

Hiking the dunes is an experience everyone should enjoy! We hiked High Dune back in 2020 and at 699 feet it was a real challenge! This time we elected to just enjoy the scenery, lol. If you do decide to do it wear close toed shoes and take water!

There are three wildlife refuges in the area that I wanted to visit but didn't have time: Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge, Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge and Baca Refuge. My research tells me these refuges are located on the migratory path for Sandhill Cranes! Definitely on my list for the next visit! But I did get a chance to practice my bird photography and was quite pleased with some of the results!

I'm learning that with wildlife I need a fast shutter speed and I was thrilled that this photo of chipmunks playing in the trees came out sharp and in focus even through the branches!

Nature at it's Best!

Most of my favorite images have mountains in them this week but I did enjoy capturing some abstract shots of dunes with shadows and lines and lots of texture!

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Per the Farmers Almanac, the name comes from eastern Native American tribes who refer to the full Moon in April as the "Pink Moon" because the name originates from the moon's correspondence with early springtime wildflowers. This may be my favorite moon so far!

I went out at 7:30 on the 23rd to wait for the full moon to rise and the clouds were so thick I was no expecting to see much so I formed a backup plan: get up at the crack of dawn and capture it setting. Turns out I was able to see it as it rose through the clouds (very cool!) and also I got up to see it setting. That one turned out to be my favorite, for obvious reasons!