Sand dunes national Park, friend or foe?

These folks looks like they're going to make it to the top.

I was so glad to get out of the Sand Dunes National Park this morning because it was one of the worst camping experiences I think I've ever had. The place was packed with people and mosquitoes, and I'm unable to decide which was worse. The clouds of mosquitoes made it difficult to be outside, and the crowds of people made it difficult to be either inside or out.

Most of the people in the campground were either young single types or young couples with kids, either way everybody was young, and young people, not everyone of course, but some, have a tendency to be noisy and self-centered. And if you pack that many of them in one place it tends to ruin the camping experience for anyone older than 30, and I've got bluejeans older than that.

The mosquitoes alone were enough to make me never go back to that place again in the summer or maybe ever. I had to harken back to my days of fishing in the Florida Everglades for having to deal with mosquitoes like that. Yes insect repellent's with a lot of DEET will keep them off you for a while but it won't keep them from buzzing around your face and driving you crazy. So I'm scratching, both literally and figuratively, Sand Dunes National Park off my list of Colorado places to go.

I was chased out of Sand Dunes National Park this morning by a cloud of mosquitoes at about 8:30 and I didn't lose them until I got up to about 65 miles an hour. A couple of hours later I pulled into the Walmart in Salida Colorado, yes the same one I stayed at a couple days ago, and settled in for the night. It's less than 20 miles from here to Monarch where I need to be tomorrow so I figured it was better to stay here tonight, instead of going to Monarch and trying to find a place to stay there.

The weather's been really nice on this mini-vacation. Most of the time I've been around 7000 feet or higher which normally keeps the highs for the day in the 80s so just having my vent fan running during the hottest part of the day has kept me comfortable, and of course at night it's still blanket weather.

The little Bronco camper has been doing okay, it hasn't given me any problems and everything works. I'm still trying to find places for things which is making me think I may have too many things already. I've been getting around 17 miles per gallon running around the mountains with the Bronco on my back, which gives me a whole lot more range than pulling the Arctic Fox. But I really can't compare them because the Arctic Fox is a home and the Bronco is a camper.

                          theboondork

To get from the parking lot to the base of the dunes there are several walking paths like this. During mosquito season very few people come out the other end.... Alive.

Your looking at someone experiencing a reality check. She's waded half way across the creek and has come to the realization that she's not going to get that incredible selfie of herself sliding down the dune on her board, because she can't get herself and the board up the dune. Shortly after I took this picture she turned around and walked back to the parking lot. It was kind of sad to watch her YouTube stardom slowly fade away.

A picture from the campground at the Sand Dunes National Park

A Cactus Flower. I guess with all this sand the Cactus thinks its in the desert.

you would be amazed how fast I can get up those steps with a cloud of mosquitoes behind me.