Colorado + a Black Mamba + a Younger Sister = ?

= A Whole Lot of Fun!

Our last stop before entering Colorado was Laramie, WY. The University of Wyoming has a planetarium with an inexpensive show for the community, and we decided to go, even though it was a rainy evening. 

I rotated the image so it would appear the way we saw it during the show,
and then, later, in the night sky.

I'm so glad we did! The 2 undergraduate students who "flew" the show for us were perky and knowledgeable. During the show we learned about the constellations currently visible (Cassiopeia, Cygnus, Cepheus, Andromeda, Pegasus, and Perseus). We also heard an ancient Greek story about how Perseus wooed Andromeda, while holding Medusa's severed head. Not romantic enough for a new Disney movie, I'm afraid. 

We journeyed on to Colorado Springs and dropped the trailer at an RV repair shop. Some strong winds in Montana bent one of the awning arms. It was fixed the next day!

In the meantime, we stayed with my younger sister, Debbie, and her husband, Rick, at their home in Colorado Springs. Hot shower in a real bathroom and great food - our best "camp site" yet! 

So what does this have to do with a mamba? Debbie inherited our brother's black Corvette, nicknamed the Black Mamba. When she picked up the car in Florida last spring, I got the chance to remember how to drive a stick shift. For about 15 feet. So Deb wanted me to really have the chance to drive the car, so we headed over to the US Air Force Academy where there was very little traffic, and we (she) let 'er rip! 

Black Mamba still in Florida

Soon it was my turn and I drove safely and conservatively to an overlook where we watched the cadets fly gliders and practice a parachute routine for the upcoming football game. Debbie encouraged me to find out how well the car hugs the road on tight turns. Um, yeah. I decided to take her word for it. I was just happy I didn't stall the thing.

Just like a real mamba, she's beautiful, but deadly.

Once the camper was repaired we all headed to southern Colorado for some fun at Rick's cabin, and to visit Great Sand Dunes National Park.

We dropped the camper outside the park, in a desolate campsite at Zapata Falls, a federal area managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). No electricity, no water, but... vault toilets!  

Poor camper. First it sits at a repair shop, then gets the BLM treatment.

Imagine a range of mountains that curve slightly concave, creating the inner side of a spoon that catches sand in it. That's the principle behind this unusual area, preserved by its designation as a national park. The curve of the mountains creates the perfect spot to collect sand from the surrounding land, building dunes that are over 700 ft. high. 

The dunes covered over 30 square miles.

Headed to the Dunes.

Now imagine walking on a Florida beach in the loose sand away from the area packed down by the tide. That was the kind of surface we covered as we explored the area. Debbie and Rick hiked to the top of one of the dunes while we struggled with Trooper, whose paws were getting packed with sand. He kept sitting down, we would clean out his paws, and then keep going. For about 5 yards, then Trooper would sit down again. So we opted to head back to the visitors center where we learned about the shape of the mountain range creating the spoon for the sand.

Trooper, trying to sit down.
I think it must have felt like walking with those foam things between your toes at a pedicure.

Debbie and Rick are at the first level-off to the right of the center of the picture.

Debbie and Rick's view from the top.
We look so tiny!

On Sunday we left the cabin and headed a different direction for a hike on a peak along Hwy 12, known as the Highway of Legends. The fall colors were more evident here than at Great Sand Dunes.

Near Cordova Pass in the Spanish Peaks Wilderness.
Hints of fall color!

Check that elevation! I was light-headed and a bit dizzy.

The Western Spanish Peak.

My dog loves my sister.

View of the Cuchara Valley. 
Notice the area on the far mountain where the land is bear?
That was burned in a wildfire. You can see the line where the firefighters stopped it.

The Spanish Peaks are known for these ridges of rock that run down the sides of the mountains. 
These are called dikes. Some run for miles.

We made it to the top of Vista Point!

Trooper got to join us in the Dog Bar for a late lunch.
He ordered water. It was served in an aluminum dish.

We hung out at the cabin the next few days, riding ATVs, meeting neighbors of Rick and Debbie, working on a few jigsaw puzzles, enjoying sunsets, and stargazing. The new moon, plus very little light pollution, made for some amazing evenings checking out the Milky Way, and looking for the stars featured at the planetarium. 

Debbie taught us how to drive the ATV.
This may come in handy in about 2 weeks...

The mountain here is the Eastern Spanish Peak.

Not the greatest Milky Way shot ever, but my cell phone will have to do.
So many stars!!

Finally, a quick salute to our son, Kyle, who graduated from the United States Air Force Academy. It felt like old times when Debbie and I visited the campus. Sorry, Kyle, no Black Mamba back in your cadet days... 

The cadets learned to fly gliders during "Soar" 
I think Kyle was hooked on flying. 

Kyle learned how to jump out of a perfectly good airplane.
His first jump was solo. 

A T-38A Talon on display at the Thunderbird Airmanship Overlook at USAFA.

Our week with Debbie and Rick flew by, and soon we had to "saddle up" the camper and drive to Durango. Tomorrow we take the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad along the Animas River. This is a must-do when visiting SW Colorado! Here's a link - check it out! https://www.durangotrain.com/