Sand Dunes National Park
How are we already at our final destination before we start heading home???
It is so hard to believe.
Justin planned it well to have this park at the end. Given how much the kids loved the sand at the Arches National Park, we figured their minds would be blown by this park.
And we were right!
We woke up parly and drove to the park in our pj’s.
Y’all, I had NO idea what to expect!
I even asked Justin if he thought they brought in sand to supplement, you know, like they do at beaches sometimes.
Lets just say I realized how stupid that sounded immediately upon seeing the dunes.
The map said we were 19 miles away, but there was no way that was possible. We could see the dunes! What was going on with our directions???
Nope. They are just that big!
We parked, got suits and sunscreen on, and headed out.
It’s like being at the beach, but you’re in the mountains. It’s fascinating!
The stream alongside the dunes is sometimes dry, but not while we were there! All the snow from the mountains was melting and the stream was my kids’ favorite place to play (an my favorite spot to sit).
We were there for the whole afternoon and only walked in the sand a bit. Without boards and with the intense wind, the water seemed a much more enjoyable option for all. Plus, we knew we were coming back in the morning and could truck it to the dunes first thing.
When we left the dunes, I felt like we were the luckiest people on the planet. We could shower IN the parking lot. And I’m not talking the rinse your feet off in the freezing cold water at the public access, I’m talking hot shower in the privacy of our RV.
It was hands down the best part of the RV on the whole trip!
While we were doing the rounds, we met a family in the camper next to us and ended up going out to dinner with these new friends. Our kids played on yet another fun playground with the dunes as the backdrop.
It truly felt like the perfect ending to our adventures.
And we still had another day at the park!
So we headed to our campground late, set up the camper, fell asleep, and woke up early to do it all over again.
Justin drove while everyone else slept so we could get to the store early to rent boards and then get out to the park hopefully before the masses.
At the store, there was already a line around the building! A signal that the park was going to be much busier than it was yesterday.
Fortunately, it went fast and we got our sled and board and headed out to conquer the dunes.
We dropped our stuff off at the stream and started out.
Today was the day for sand boarding, or whatever it’s called.
Aubyn and Embry were naturals. They didn’t hesitate to jump on the board and go down. Avett preferred the sled and went over and over again. Edley pouted off in the distance for some random reason. I think she wanted a different dune…
After we got our fill of boarding, Justin was off to hike to the top of one of the highest dunes.
The one he wanted to hike was a 9 hour round trip, so he reevaluated and changed his mind to the 2 hour round trip dune.
I wished him well, sent him with extra water, and we parted ways. Him to the top of a dune, me to play in the water with the kiddos.
Around 2 hours later, I checked my dying phone and saw that a random number had texted me…”Soooo I dropped my phone in the dunes somewhere…”
My stomach dropped.
I knew he had to be so upset.
On top of that, his license was in his phone case. Not to mention, the reservations for our campsites or the app with dispersed camping…
And all the photos!
Ugh, it made me sick to think about.
I take a bunch, but he has the good ones.
It’'ll all be okay, but what a bummer…
