Sand Dunes National Park 2015

We feel so lucky to have landed here in Colorado so near to the Allred's.  Dan and Reid have been friends since their freshman year in college. I'm not saying we're old, but that is getting to be a long time ago.  

They are wonderful people and friends, and have been so good to us since we moved here.  They are also very busy.  So when they asked if we'd like to join them on a camping trip to the sand dunes, we were rightfully concerned with taking the littlest muggins camping in the sand but it only took a moment's consideration to agree.  The sand dunes were on our "list" and getting to experience them with friends we don't get to see all that often sealed the deal.

As we drove down we said prayers that whatever happened, that we would, please, just not regret the whole thing.  

And then a bear ran right out in front of our van.  No lie.  These could be big foot pictures but I promise it was a black bear.

Then we forgot all about regret and just started praying that we wouldn't get eaten by a bear.

It was such an unusual landscape; prairie, sand dunes, huge mountains.  

And then if the bear wasn't enough, we looked out the window and saw this fifty point buck or whatever.  

After setting up camp, locking anything with a scent in our bear locker, and saying more prayers that we wouldn't get eaten, we enjoyed a campfire under a full moon.

In the morning we headed to the dunes.  Up until the end of summer when it dries up, there is a river that runs at the base of the sand dunes.  It was mostly gone for our visit, but there was still enough to wade in and make beautiful designs in the sand.

We rented sand sleds.

And it was pretty fantastic.

Hours of fun were had by all.

Climbing back up the hill after sledding down was the hardest part.

And sand got ev.ery.where.  

Finn and Jack didn't do much sledding, but they did like to play in the sand.

We discovered sand in weird places for the next week.

Before we left, Ava's horse back riding teacher had tipped us off to a fun alligator farm.  They also had plenty of other reptiles.

This girl shocks me.  Of all the things that scare her, she'll wear a snake around her neck without a problem.

Luke wasn't scared either.

This is the closest we got to a group shot.  Grace is missing and Max is hiding.

The little alligator "punched"our certificate to authenticate it.

They had two little baby rattlesnakes born that day.  Can you spot them?

This was the alligator from the movie "Happy Gilmore"

And this was a nasty 80 pound snapping turtle.

This is a not-nasty, super cute, 20 pound smoochy bunny.

And if you were wondering, this is how the smoochy bunny took his naps (read: he didn't). But he did sleep pretty darn great at night so I forgave him.

Deer wandered in and out of our campsite.  

And the sunset was unreal.

We did another round at the campfire.

And made it through another night without getting eaten.  I love cramming all of these people into the same tent and waking up together.  Seriously, it's one of my top favorite things in life. 

Finn's entire scalp was coated with sand, 

And my foyer stayed stacked with camping gear for three days after we got home,

but it was totally worth it.