The Escape Dunes

Sunday evening I headed back to the dunes. It was overcast and I discovered that it had rained earlier in the day on the dunes. I was immediately upset that I had not brought my snow skate. The sand dunes website says that riding the dunes is best done after a rain. I would have to wait to find out if this is true.

This is a thing, okay? My self portrait to prove I was there. Mostly prove to me.  

An entirely different place just a day later

It was amazing to see how the personality of the sand changed in just over 24 hours. The day before, the sand was bright, tan, and Saharan in its appearance. I could pretend I was in the middle of the desert, as long as I ignored the mountains and the screaming families. Just one day later, and all the colors in the sand were brought out by the rain. The park was filled with otherworldly twilight. It was cool and wonderful.

I set out across the dry stream bed, heading north and parallel to the dunes. The map said the Escape Dunes were about a kilometer away from the main parking lot, so I was optimistic that it wouldn’t take long to get there. I had forgotten, in the space of just a day, that sand is DIFFICULT to walk in, and everything takes just a bit longer to do. Fortunately, in some areas the sand was hard which made the going much easier and quicker.

My destination was the little green patch just to the right of where that dune ends

Insert reference to Footprints in the Sand

Pretty!

It was approaching twilight

This little plant was lonely

Colors

Opps

After a while, I saw an area with some dead trees that I thought might be the escape dunes, but it was much closer than the area where I was headed. I decided I needed a better look, so I climbed up the nearest dune. I had been right the first time, so I continued heading north, but this time, on the ridge of sand I had climbed.

Going downhill in sand is fun. It almost makes you feel weightless, as you slide step by step downwards. I made it down my dune and headed into the Escape Dunes.

Path down the hill

Some of the residents of the Escape Dunes

More dead trees

Hey, it's a dead tree!

I really liked this tree and took a bunch of photos of it. I'll just show this one.

Well, they were not as neat as I thought they would be. I mean, they were cool, with the skeletons of trees reaching into the sky. But they were smaller than I had envisioned. I took some pictures and then headed back, reflecting on how the journey was more important than the destination. (Deep right?)

I found it a little weird to cross my tracks from the trip out. I got philosophical about it in my thoughts, but I will spare you that. Anyways, my overall perspective was that it was a neat thing to do. Not necessarily something that you HAVE to do when you come here though.

My tracks crossing

Bye!