Secrets 2: Looking Through Different Eyes

Shortly after the alarm went off at 6:30, the phone in our room rang. 

“Good morning, Mom, and we were already up,” I said upon answering the phone.  

“I just wanted to check and make sure you were awake.” 

“I know, but I already had that handled. 

“Ok, then we’ll meet you out in the hallway just as soon as you’re both dressed.”

“Ok, we’ll see you in a few minutes then.”

We quickly used the toilet and sloshed some mouthwash around on our tongue and teeth to eliminate our morning breath, and then we hurriedly grabbed a pair of shorts and a polo shirt and got dressed.  As soon as we put our shoes on, we stepped out in the hallway to greet my parents. 

“Even though we hurried and didn’t take very long, I knew you’d be out here first,” I teased. 

“That’s because your mother set her alarm for 5:45,” Dad shot back. 

“Well, at least we got 45 minutes more sleep than you did.”

We then made our way down to the lobby and enjoyed the ‘free’ breakfast that Dad was so proud of.  Devin and I knew he was spending a great deal of money on this trip, so I guess having each of us getting a free breakfast seemed to even things out, at least in Dad’s mind.  As long as it worked for him, we were happy to keep his fantasy alive. 

As soon as we finished eating, Dad led us out to the SUV so he could drive us to where we would begin the jeep tour.  It wasn’t exactly close by and took a few minutes to drive there, and it turned out that they weren’t what I’d call a typical jeep either!  That’s because it had an extended frame and better suspension, and the passengers’ seating compartment was an elevated area with bench seating on both sides of the jeep.  In order to get to these seats, however, a man had to show us how to open the half-door that’slocated behind where the spare tire hung.  It swung outward and allowed us to use a built-in step to get up to our seats.   As we prepared to climb aboard, we were handed a bottle of water.

“This will help keep you hydrated,” the man said as we each accepted it from him.

Although we were looking for the 3-point retractable safety belts that are found in most cars, the seats merely had safety belts that we were to fasten about our waists. 

“Wow!  These must have come out of a museum!” my dad stated.  “I haven’t seen anything like these except in a 1966 Chrysler Charger that my dad restored.  It reminded him of the first new car he’d ever bought.”

“So, they only used this type of seatbelt back then?” Devin asked. 

“Yes, according to my dad the 3-point seatbelts like we use today weren’t mandatory in cars until 1968.”

“The jeeps must have a special agreement that allows them to use these in these vehicles,” I added.

“Yes, I suppose they do,” my dad replied.

“My name is Tom and I’ll be your driver and guide on this tour,” the man equipped with a headset with a microphone explained.  “So get comfortable and enjoy the views, but let me offer one warning before we begin.  If you decide to stick your arms out one of the openings in the side of the jeep, you’ll be doing it at your own risk, because flying chunks of dried mud are sometimes thrown into the air by the tires.  A couple of weeks ago, a man’s hand was badly bruised and his wrist severely sprained when it happened to him, after he failed to heed my warning.  I’d rather not hear anyone else scream out in pain like that during this tour, and now you’ve all been duly warned.”

Shortly after we started out, we reached the first point of interest.  “This is the former Canon City cemetery and there are people buried here that fought in every major war from the Revolutionary War to the Viet Nam War.  There are even gravestones from both Union and Confederate soldiers that fought in the American Civil War that are, in some situations, buried adjacent to one another.”

“And this is a bonus history lesson about this area from our tour guide,” Dad joked, “along with showing us all of the wonderful sites.”

After leaving the cemetery, our guide followed a dirt road with many dips in it, sort of like the track on an old fashion roller coaster ride, until eventually he pulled over and stopped. 

“If you want to get out here, I’ll be happy to point out some of the marine fossils that are embedded in the rocky surrounding,” Tom informed us.  “You may wonder how these fossils got up to this location, and I’m not totally sure I can answer that question for you.  What I can say is that over time the currents in the Earth’s molten core have caused the 15 to 20 tectonic plates to shift and move in a way that has forced these rocks to their present location.”

“And now we get a science lesson from our tour guide as well,” Dad whispered.

It was fascinating thinking about how these fossils might have arrived here, since we were about 6,700 feet (2,042 m) above sea level at the time.  And after we’d all had a chance to observe the fossils, we got back in the jeep to continue our tour. 

From this point on, the jeep navigated around the multiple twists and turns it encountered as it moved over the rocky and uneven roadway.  Some of the longer dips in the trail were also quite slippery, but Tom handled them with ease and left no doubt that this was truly an off-road adventure.     

“If you look out the right side of the jeep, the tree that you’ll see at the top of the bank is over 700 years old,” Tom pointed out, and then a couple of minutes later he made another comment. 

“We’re coming up to a location where you’ll be able to take a nature pee, if you find it necessary,” he informed us, and since none of us did, he continued the tour.

I found it very quiet and quite serene being out in the wilderness, with only the sound of the jeep – far away from the hustle and bustle of city life and highway traffic.  And seeing we weren’t used to it being so peaceful, it was a little eerie at the same time. 

Along the way we also got a chance to spot some wildlife, such as the mule deer with their big ole floppy ears as they lifted their heads to watch us as we drove by.  We also got to see a vast assortment of different types of birds, which included an eagle that Tom pointed out as it soared high in the air above us.   

“We’re now making our way to the back entrance of Royal Gorge Park,” Tom informed us.  “This area is closed to most traffic, so our tours are the only outside group that is granted permission to use it on a regular basis.  Other than us, and except for when temporary permission is granted for special occasions, only vehicles that are connected to the park are able to utilize this entrance.” 

After we entered the park, Tom carefully guided the jeep onto the bridge and slowly began to cross it.  “At one time,” Tom explained, “you might have seen a steady procession of cars as they crossed this bridge, but that practice has been prohibited for a long time.  Now, only our jeeps and the golf carts and maintenance vehicles connected with the park are allowed to do this.  However, personal vehicles were also permitted to cross over the bridge during the COVID pandemic, as a safety precaution to keep those that were visiting the park from catching the disease.  Vehicles are also sometimes allowed to cross the bridge during special events.”

He then went on to tell us all of the same facts that Dad had shared with us as we walked across the bridge the previous day, along with relating stories about the damage that the wildfire had caused. 

“It was truly a very trying and devastating time,” he concluded.   

“Maybe we should have taken this tour when we first got here, and then you wouldn’t have had to memorize all of those facts you shared with us yesterday,” I stated as I looked at Dad.

“I considered that, but then I decided it would be less crowded doing those things yesterday, rather than over the weekend.  Besides, I knew once you saw the Skycoaster that you’d want to get out of the jeep and go over to try it out.”

“Yeah, your probably right about that,” Devin conceded.  “We wouldn’t have wanted to wait until the next day before we got to try it out.”

We then made a quick stop at the Visitor Center, which we were told had to be rebuilt after the wildfire.  While there, we were able to view all of the incredible photographs from when the park first opened, as well as those showing the changes that had been made throughout the years, including the destruction caused by the wildfire.   After that, we were able to use the restrooms before getting back into the jeep and continuing the tour.

We soon left the paved roads and started on the back half of our tour, and once again we traveled over more dusty trails.  We remained in the Royal Gorge area for quite a while and Tom took us over some steep trails in order to take advantage of a few of the lesser-known vantage points.  It was at these locations where we enjoyed some incredible views and were able to take some wonderful photos of the park and surrounding area. 

“In the distance,” Tom stated at one stop, “you can see the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, which means ‘the blood of Christ’ in Spanish.  The mountains were given that name by the early Spanish explorers, because during sunrise they claimed the east side of the mountains sometimes seemed to be bathed in a reddish hue.  The same thing happens at sunset, but at that time you have to be on the west side of the mountains to observe that effect.” 

The mountains were impressive, although I wish we could have seen them at sunrise or sunset to find out if they did sometimes appear covered in a reddish hue. 

“We are now approaching Skyline Drive,’ Tom announced.  “This historic, narrow, one-way road was built by inmates at a local prison in 1905.  It follows Razorback Ridge and rises to about 800 feet (244 m) in elevation above the surrounding terrain.”

“Oh my god,” my mom gasped as she turned to take in the view.  “This road isn’t only narrow, but there are no guardrails to prevent the jeep from plummeting down the steep banks until it reaches the valley below.”

     

“Don’t worry,” Dad quickly advised her.  “Tom appears to be a very good driver and I’m sure he’s successfully made this trip many times before.”

“I certainly hope so,” she retorted as she stopped looking out the side of the jeep to take in the view.

When we reached the top of this area, Tom brought the jeep to a stop.  “If you look out the left side of the jeep,” he announced, “you’ll see fossilized dinosaur footprints that appear in the rocks.  These footprints are not only sideways, but they also protrude out of the rock, rather than being embedded in the rockface.”

“Wow, I didn’t expect to see anything like this up here!” I practically shouted.  “And why do the footprints look like that?  It’s obvious that we’re seeing the under side of the footprint, but what happen to the soil that once surrounded it.  How did all of the dirt fall away and leave only the inverted foot print?”

“Yeah, how could that possibly happen?” Devin concurred. 

“I’ll agree that It’s strange,” Dad offered, “but it apparently survived like that, so there must have been a process that we just don’t understand.” 

After leaving that area, the final leg of the trip took us back to where we started, at the Colorado Jeep Tours office.  When we got out, Dad walked up to Tom and handed him some money.  “This is just to show our appreciation for a very interesting and informative tour.”

“Thank you very much and maybe you’d find the Red Canyon Tour just as valuable.”

“We might, but I’ve planned something else for this afternoon, and then we’ll be leaving the area tomorrow.” 

“Then possibly you could visit here again another time, if you don’t live too far away.” 

“I’ll definitely keep that in mind,” Dad agreed, and then he led us back to the SUV.  Once we were inside, I made a comment. 

“Thanks, Dad, I really enjoyed that.”

“Yeah, Pa, thanks a lot.  That was really interesting,” Devin added. 

“I enjoyed it too, Mike, even though some parts of the tour were quite scary,” Mom concurred. 

“So, where are we heading next?” I asked. 

“We’re going back to the hotel so we can take a quick shower and change, since I’m sure we are all covered in a fine coating of dust after that jeep tour.  While you’re taking your shower, don’t use any heavily scented soaps or shampoos, and after you dry off, please don’t use any scented lotions or deodorants either.  Also, pack up your belongings because we’ll be checking out and taking them with us.  As soon as we’ve loaded everything in the SUV and I’ve taken care of the bill, we’ll go out for an early supper, followed by some vanilla ice cream for dessert.”

“What’s with the vanilla ice cream for dessert and not using any scented products,” Devin asked.

“It’s because I’m taking you to explore the Holy Cross Abbey’s winery, or more correctly the Winery at the Holy Cross Abbey.  The vanilla ice cream will cleanse the palate after we eat, and not using any scented products will help to ensure the odors emanating off your bodies won’t interfere with the wine tasting.”

“So, that’s what this is all about, you’re going to be sampling some wine?” I followed.  “But how would using fragrant product interfere with that?”

“The nose picks up those smells and it interferes with the tasting process.  Haven’t you noticed when you smell the pleasant aroma of food that it seems to enhance its taste?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t know it had the same effect when we’re drinking something.”

“In most cases it wouldn’t, because only hot drinks, like coffee, tea, and hot chocolate give off an aroma.  But you’ll find out that the same is true of wine.”

“Ok, I didn’t know that.”

“Before I explain how it works, let me tell you a little about what we’ll be doing.  The location of the winery used to belong to a Benedictine monastery that was established by a group of monks in 1866.  The Gothic Revival Abbey that you’ll see wasn’t constructed until 1924-25, and in 1986 it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  In the 2000s, some of the land was sold, and the abbey officially closed in 2006.  The monks never had anything to do with the winery, but the business is located on land that was once part of the abbey.  That’s why the owners were allowed to use the abbey’s name on their product when they began operation in 2002.”

 “Do they grow their own grapes as well?” Devin followed.

“Yes, they do.  In fact, the winery boasts that it’s happy to welcome visitors to view ‘its beautiful and serene Rocky Mountain Vineyard.’  They also encourage visitors to take advantage of the tasting room to sample their fine wines, and possibly even purchase a bottle or two.”  

“Does this mean that Mac and I will get to taste the wines too?” Devin wondered. 

“Yes, I’ve already arranged for all of us to be part of the wine tasting.  If anyone asks, I want you to tell them that you’re 21, since you’re both only a few months shy of your birthdays.  Just remember that you were born a year before your actual birthdate.”

“But what if someone asks for our IDs?”

“Just direct them to me and I’ll explain that you’re both my sons and I’ll vouch that you’re old enough to do this.”

“Ok, but what if we don’t like all of the wines?”

“I’m sure that will be explained to you once we’re there, but this is the basic rule you should follow when tasting wines.  Swirl, sniff, sip, and swish.  This means you should swirl the wine around in your glass first, in order to release its bouquet, and then you should gently sniff the fragrance and let it envelop your nasal passages.  That is why we had to avoid any fragrant shower products and lotions.  After that you will take a sip of the wine and swish it over your palate, and then you can either swallow the sample or gently spit it into a designated dump bucket, or spittoon.”

“Ok, that sounds simple enough.”

After checking out of our motel and eating supper, followed by a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream, Dad drove us to the winery.  Shortly after we got out of the SUV, we met the other eight people that were taking part in the tasting, along with our host, and she advised us about what was going to happen next. 

“You’ll each be given a 2-ounce (59 ml) sample of six different wines this afternoon, and here’s what I want you to do.”  She then explained the same process that Dad had told us about earlier, including the use of the dump bucket.  She also had us take a bottle of sparkling water from a table and explained that we should take a swig of that between samples and swish it around in our mouth to cleanse the palate.  Then, she gave us our first sample and told us what it was, and she also informed us about the variety of grapes that were used to make this particular type of wine. 

After we finished tasting each sample, she’d answer any questions we had and listened to any comments we wished to make, and then she’d explain what she hoped we had discovered about that particular sample.  Then, she would have us use the sparkling water to cleanse our palates before supplying us with the next sample. 

I have to admit that this wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.  Before we started, I thought the wine tasting was going to be fun, but I only liked two of the six wines that we tasted.  In fact, I had to spit one of the samples out even before I had a chance to actually swish it around in my mouth, since I’d found it so unpleasant.  Devin didn’t react to that sample as badly as I had, but he told me later that he felt it was the worst tasting of the wine samples as well. 

After we finished the wine tasting, we stuck around for a while so we could speak to the others in the group to see if they had anything interesting to offer.  We discovered which wines they found to their liking, and one couple even preferred the sample that I’d hurriedly spat into the dump bucket.  Two other couples agreed that they preferred the same sample that Devin and I liked best.  It was sort of sweet and fruity tasting.

After we left the Holy Cross Abbey, Dad started driving to our next destination, which was a small town near the Great Sand Dunes National Park.  During the ride, I began chatting with Dad. 

“Well, I learned one thing,” I said.  “I’ve got to be careful if I ever decide to buy wine, because not all of the wines we sampled tasted good to me.”

“I believe you reacted to the drier wines the worst,” Dad stated, “and liked the white wines a little better.  You probably should do some research before buying any bottles of wine, because I believe you’ll prefer the white wines, roses, and sparkling wines the best.  You’ll want to make sure you don’t waste your money purchasing bottles of wine that you won’t drink.” 

”Yeah.  Good point.”

As soon as Dad reached the Great Sand Dunes Lodge in Mosca, which is just south of the main entrance to the park, we checked in.  After we were assigned to our rooms and given the key cards, Dad asked the night clerk about the complimentary breakfast. 

“Everything will be ready by 6:30 and we serve for two hours,” the man responded, and Dad thanked him for the information before we headed to our rooms to turn in. 

“Make certain that you set your alarm for 7:00, because I want to make sure we don’t miss out on eating breakfast here.  After that, we’ll make one quick stop before we head over to our next destination. 

“Ok, but where else do we have to stop before we go there?” I asked. 

“You’ll find out in the morning, but now we need to get some rest, so I suggest you make it an early night.  We’ll all meet up again at 7:30.”

Since he wouldn’t tell us what the other stop was for, we went to our room and began performing our nightly ritual.  When we finished, we climbed into bed and I spooned up behind Devin and cuddled with him as we fell asleep. 

After we were awakened by the alarm on my phone, we gave each other a passionate hug, but held off on the kiss until after we’d both had a chance to use mouthwash and brush our teeth.  As soon as that had been taken care of, we exchanged an equally passionate kiss before getting dressed and meeting up with my parents to enjoy the complimentary breakfast. 

“Are you going to tell us where we’re going today and what the extra stop we have to make is about?” I asked, while staring at my dad as I ate.

“I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to tell you, because I think you’ll both find this interesting.  We’re going to visit the Great Sand Dunes National Park.”

“Wait, your mean that you’re going to take us to visit a National Park so we can look at a bunch of sand that probably shouldn’t even be in this state in the first place?  It’s not like Colorado is known for having a shoreline along the ocean or the Gulf of Mexico.  Hell, we don’t even have any really big lakes, and we certainly don’t have long, hot, dry summers.”

“Recalling what I learned when I was doing research for this trip,” Dad responded, “I learned that all soil is comprised of various quantities of clay, silt, loam, and sand.  However, the percentage of each of those items in the soil will vary depending on the location, and in this case, it seems that nature provided the right amount of wind and water for this to happen.  The creeks and rivers brought in large quantities of sediment, which contained the sand that is found in the valley.  Over time, the wind blew the sediment with the sand toward the bend in Sangre de Cristo Mountains, and then storm winds coming from opposite directions helped to form the sand dunes that we’re going to visit today.” 

“Oh, I didn’t know any of that information, but what are we going to do there, besides stare at all the sand?”

“That’s the part I though you two would enjoy.  There are shops in the area where you can rent sand sleds and sand boards that you can use to ride down the sand dunes.  It will be similar to riding a snow sled or a snowboard down a hill after a snowstorm.”

“Ok, that sounds like it might be fun, but will we have time to try out both?”

“Yes, there should be plenty of time for you to do that, but just remember that you’re going to have to walk up the sand dune each time you want to slide down again, whether it’s on a sand sled or sandboard.”

“I think we can handle that, since we had to walk up the hill when we wanted to sled down the snow before,” Devin responded.  “Oh, and you don’t have to worry about paying for renting both of those things.  If you’ll rent the sand sleds for us to use, it will give us a chance to see what sliding down the sand is like and how different it might be from sledding on snow.  After we see how it is, then we might decide to try sandboarding next, because it might prove to be even more fun, and I’ll pay to rent the sandboards.” 

When we finished eating, we went back to our rooms to brush our teeth and pack up our belongings so we could leave them in the SUV while we were at the Great Sand Dunes National Park. That’s because we were going to head to our next destination as soon as we left there, but first we had another stop to make.

When we arrived at the shop where we could rent the sand sleds and sandboards, Devin told the guy what we were going to do.  “We’re going to rent two sand sleds first, and after we see how that is, we might come back to rent two sandboards.

“I suppose you could do that, especially if you were going to do those things on different days, but we’re not exactly close to where you’ll be going down the sand dunes.  You’d be better off renting both of them at the same time, if you’re going to do both things today, because it will save you roughly an hour round-trip to come back here again.”

“Ok, I’ll rent the sand sleds for them,” Dad told the man.

“And I’ll rent two sandboards,” Devin followed. 

“You’ll probably want some wax too,” the man quickly added.  “We’ve waxed up those items already, but the sand will rub the wax off quickly, so you’ll have to wax them again if you want to ride them down the sand dune more than once or twice.”

“Ok, I’ll pay for that too,” Devin offered.

“Maybe we should both get the wax, because you’ll need it for the sand sled AND the sandboards,” Dad pointed out. 

“Yeah, that’s a good idea, especially if we can convince you and Ma to try going down the dunes on the sand sleds.”

After they’d each paid for the appropriate items, we carried them outside and placed them in the back of the SUV.  Dad then drove us back to Great Sand Dunes National Park, found a parking spot, and then Mom made a comment as we were getting out of the SUV. 

“Do you think you should have your phones with you while you’re doing these things?  It’s just that If you fall you could land on your phones and break them, so maybe you shouldn’t take them with you while you’re doing this.”

“Good point,” Dad agreed.  “We’ll all leave our phones in the SUV then, in case they convince us to try the sand sleds as well.”

“And Mom can stuff her purse under the seat,” I added, “so that doesn’t get lost or stolen while you’re riding down the sand dunes, because I want both of you to do that too.” 

After some minor squabbling back and forth, my mom finally agreed to leave her purse behind and stowed it under her seat.  Dad, Devin, and I placed our phones in the glove box, and after Dad locked it, we took the sleds and sandboards out of the back and set out for the sand dunes. 

When we finally reached there, Devin and I just looked at the sand dunes in awe.  “Damn, I didn’t realize they’d be this tall,” I gasped.  “I thought they’d be more like I’ve seen in photos of desert areas, but these are much higher.”

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing,” Devin confirmed, “so I didn’t think riding a sand sled or sandboard would be much fun, but this looks much more interesting.”

And then we made a quick plan on how we would do this.  “Devin and I will take a couple of turns on the sand sleds first, and then you and Mom can use them while we use the sandboards.”

“We’ll watch to see how you boys do first,” Mom replied.

“Ok, but I want both of you to try sledding down the sand dune at least once,” I insisted. 

“We’ll see,” she reiterated as Devin and I began walking up the sand dune so we could ride the sand sled down it.  We watched some of the other kids go first, to see how they were doing, and then we gave it a try.  It was better than either of us expected, so we raced up the sand dune to try it again.  After making our second ride down the sand dune, we picked up the sleds and raced over to where my parents had been watching us.  We immediately grabbed the wax and started applying it to the bottoms of the sand sleds.

“OK, it’s your turn now,” I said as Devin and I each held out one of the sand sleds for them to take. 

“I think maybe I’ll just watch,” Mom replied. 

“NO!” I stated loudly.  “You’ve got to try it at least once.  Come on, we’ll even help you.”

“Yeah, come on.  You can do it,” Devin concurred.

“Don’t you think we might be a little too old to be doing this?” Mom challenged. 

“No, you’re not and you’re both too young to start acting like old farts.” I responded.  Dad had no problem with this, and Devin and I kept at Mom until she finally relented. 

“Ok, I’ll do it once and I hope I don’t get hurt doing this.”

“You won’t,” I replied.

I had to give her a little push to get started, and then she slid down the fairly tall hill of sand.  I raced behind her, because I knew I’d have to carry the sled back to the top. 

“Well, how was it,” I asked when I caught up with her. 

“It was fun and I felt like a young girl again.”

“See, I knew you’d like it.” 

Devin had done the same thing with Dad, and now they both agreed that they were ready to do it again.

“Do you think you can carry the sleds to the top of the sand dune, or do you want us to do that for you as we’re carrying the sandboards?”

“We’ll try to do it,” Mom replied, “and if I can’t make it all the way to the top with it, I believe your father will be able to carry both boards the rest of the way.  Besides, the exercise will do him good.”

“Ok, then while you two are riding the sand sleds down the sand dune again, Devin and I are going to try out the sandboards to see what they’re like.  After that, you and Dad can ride the sand sleds as many times as you want, but you’ll probably have to wax them again before you do that.”

“I think I can handle that,” Dad replied.

As we were walking up the sand dune, well ahead of my parents, I confessed something to Devin.  “I’m just worried about falling while we’re sandboarding.  I’m afraid that if that happened, the sand could really tear up the skin on my arms and legs.”

“Then just don’t be such a klutz and you won’t have to worry about falling,” Devin shot back, and I can see he was smirking. 

“Damn, that’s fucked up,” I replied as I lowered my voice so my parents wouldn’t overhear what I was saying, and then I glared at Devin.  “There are a lot of reasons why someone might fall, and it’s not just because they’re clumsy.”

When we reached the top of the hill, we got ready to ride the sandboards to the bottom.  Each one had two Velcro straps to keep us attached to it and the straps were far more comfortable than the typical bindings on a snowboard.  As soon as we were strapped into place, we tentatively began our journey to the bottom of the sand dune.  It took a couple of tries before we felt comfortable and somewhat proficient at doing it, and then we started going even faster. 

Devin and I were surprised to see that my parents were still going down the sand dune on the sand sleds while we were using the sandboards.  The thing was, we were all having a blast doing this, but after a couple more hours had passed, my dad stopped us and made a comment.

“I think it’s time to stop, because the sand is getting hotter and hotter with each minute that passes by.  I found a warning that claimed that we’d either have to do this early in the day or in the late afternoon, because coming into contact with the hot sand can cause serious burns.  We’ll take these things back to the SUV and lock them inside, and then we’ll make a quick stop at the visitor center and see what it’s like.  It will also give us a chance to use the rest rooms.”

After we locked the sand sleds and sandboards in the SUV, we headed back to the Visitor Center.  As we walked through the door there was a display of every Native American Tribe that had ever called the Great San Luis Valley home.  After we checked that display out, we took some time to use the rest rooms next, before we moved on to the interactive exhibits. 

The exhibits showed each of the ecosystems that could be found at the Great Sand Dunes and the interactive display filled us in about the vegetation and wildlife that could be found there. There was also a Park Ranger on duty to answer any question you might have.  There was also a night sky video and night life of the sand dunes exhibit, as well as a 3D model of the valley and geology animation.  Devin and I found it all very interesting, especially the display of every Native America Tribe that had lived around here.  

As soon as we left the Visitor Center, Dad took us to return the sand sleds and sandboards, and then it was time to eat.

“What are we going to do after we eat?” I asked.

“After we finish our lunch, we’ll set out for our next destination, because it will take about two hours to drive there.”

“But It will still be early by the time we get there, so what are we going to do?” I continued. 

“We’ll check in at the resort where I made reservations and then we’ll get settled in.  We’ll also take time to shower and get cleaned up, because I’m sure that we’re all sweaty and dirty from our earlier activity.”

“Have you got anything planned after that?” Devin pressed. 

“Around 7:00 we’ll go out to a restaurant and have supper, and when we get back to our rooms, I recommend that we all turn in early.  We’ll be getting up at 5:30 in the morning to head over to the activity that I planned.”

“Why so early?” I challenged. 

“Because we’ll have to be at the location for the next activity before 7:00.  Some of the others might already be there by the time we arrive, seeing the brochure said the activity will begin shortly after sunrise.  That means the earlier we get there, the less chance there will be that we’ll arrive late and miss out, since sunrise is technically at just before 6:00.”

“Damn, what are we going to be doing that early in the morning?”

“Look, I have to call the place after we check into our rooms, to find out if the weather will allow for this to happen.  It’s just that I really wanted to keep the next activity a secret, so I could see your faces when you found out what I’d planned, but I’ll tell you now, if you aren’t willing to wait.”

“Yeah, I want to know why I have to get up so early,” Devin confirmed.

“Ok, I made reservations for us to take a ride in a hot air balloon.  This balloon will have a larger basket than what you might be imagining, because it can carry 10-12 passengers, as well as the crew.”

“Wow, it sounds interesting,” I concurred. 

“I’ll just watch then!” Mom stated defiantly.

“Oh, come on, honey.  Don’t start this again,” Dad pleaded.  “It will be perfectly safe .  I know, because I checked the place out and the crew there has a perfect safety record since they began operation in 1986.”

“But you know I don’t like heights.”

“Yes, but you’ve done several other things on this trip where we were way above the ground and the boys and I will be there to keep you safe.”

She quickly turned and stared at Devin and me for a couple of seconds before she responded.   “I’m not happy about this, but I’ll do it, as long as all of you agree to stay close to me, in case I have a problem.”

“Don’t worry, Mom.  We’ll be right by your side,” I replied.

“Yep, we’ll all be there for you, Ma,” Devin added. 

“Ok, I’ll do it then,” she relented, and then we all got in the SUV and set out for our next destination.