Yesterday morning we hike the Far View Sites and then decided to explore Cortez. On the way down the Mesa we were lucky enough to watch a very large cinnamon black bear and her two cubs enjoy a snack before heading uphill. Cortez was a very interesting little town. We went to an art shop where each piece of pottery is made by an American Indian artist that you can watch as they work. Incredible pieces of art. Then we found the local rock shop and of course the quilt shop. We enjoyed our afternoon. We retuned to the Mesa for evening explorations.
Today we left Mesa Verde and headed east. It is amazing how the temperatures and scenery can change in a matter of minutes. Out temps ranged from 52 to 90. We crossed the San Juan mountains to the Great Sand Dunes. The wind at the Dunes was unreal. Derm-abrasion for certain. There was a storm on the other side of the mountains and the wind effect was incredible. Two miles away and there was very little wind. We crossed the creek and hiked up some Dunes. The wind forced us back sooner than we would have liked. After exploring the Dunes we headed to Pueblo for the night.
Ma bear standing over her meal. We couldn’t see what she was eating but she worked hard at it. The cubs were also enjoying the whatever but you can’t really see them.
Ma bear about finished eating and hurrying the young ones.
Ma and one cub leaving the dinner table. Obviously the other cub was told to finish what was on his plate before leaving.
The second cub didn’t like being left behind so he grabbed a leg to go and followed along.
At the end of the day we rode around Mesa Verde one last time and the sunset was awesome.
We stopped near a speed checking device for the sunset pictures and I got to thinking about the movie the Rookie where Dennis Quaid stopped at one of these devices and threw the baseball to see how fast he could throw. Well I had my camera and stare=ted running toward the device with the camera clicking – it was fun but I only got to 10 mph.
The last sunset picture of the day.
On the way out the next morning we looked long and hard for the bears but only found these four elk at a distance in the field.
We made it to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and were treated to this view of the dunes.
After a stop at the visitors center to hear the wind was making a visit to the dunes difficult, we went to the parking area and decided to cross the creek and walk toward the dunes.
Once there it was surprising how far away and how big they were. We were told they were up to 1400 feet tall in places. In the photo below you can get an idea of the size and distances from the people on the first dune elevation.
A nice cactus in bloom near the dunes.
A view away from the dunes showing the storm on the other side of the mountains. This was the cause of the strong winds that were funneled through the valley directly toward the dunes. It was interesting that the wind was so strong at the dunes but as you went just a short distance away they dissipated to only a slight breeze.
After the dunes we went to a state nature area but due to nesting habitats most of the ares were closed. We did get a picture of an interesting duck with a cool blue bill. We looked it up and found it is a ruddy duck.
We saw not just ducks but also damselflys and 
Yellow and brown dragonflys and just wait,
a red faced dragonfly. What excitement to close out the photographic day.
finally retired! 
I really like the blue dragonfly and the bears
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Awesome pics, I really like the bears and the storm through the mountains. I’m pretty impressed that you ran that fast with your camera but bet you could get faster without it. 😆
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The sand dunes are fascinating and enjoyable all seasons, except when it’s too hot. You were also near my favorite town, Crestone CO. And, really, you were minutes from a UFO site, viewing platform and museum. Locals have stories. That nature sanctuary hosts a big crane festival in March too.
The sunsets are…. dramatic.
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