My daughter was able to spend a month with us here in Colorado so I made the trip to LA to pick her up and then take her back, logging over 5000 miles. Hey, toys are made to use, and this one’s getting a workout. Supplemental insulation made it nice and toasty for us, and we took the southern route to avoid storms and frigid weather. Our first stop was Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado. Although a little chilly, the weather was fine and the people sparse. We only had a few hours for this visit so did the classic High Dune hike, and it was a blast. This was a unique hiking experience for both of us, and on our return it was humorous to see how much sand we poured out of our shoes.

*Frozen surface layer near the summit of High Dune*

Our second stop was White Sands National Park, where we had enough time to do the Alkali Flat hike in the afternoon. The white gypsum sand dunes weren’t as high as those in the previous park, but sand is sand and travel was….sandy. Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert, creating the world's largest gypsum dunefield. The weather was warm and the skies were glorious, and we took great pleasure in experiencing this unique patch of earth, making our own way along the general direction of the Alkali Flat trail (indicated by markers along the way), avoiding people by weaving along parallel dunes. Plus we were able to repeat the “pouring sand out of our shoes” end of hike ritual like the day before. This was the most crowded place we visited, being a Sunday with great weather, but the parking lots were relatively empty and it was easy to avoid coming anywhere near other people by making our own way off the more traveled “trail.”

*Making our own way amongst the dunes of White Sands Alkali Flat trail*

*Dense ridges form on the lower, flatter sections between the dunes*

Our third stop on the journey took us to Saguaro National Park, yet another that we had never been to. When we arrived it was raining so few souls were seen during our visit. Luckily the rain stopped and, as we drove the dirt Bajada Loop Drive, the sun came out for a bit to accentuate the green of the Saguaros. We were surprised at the multitude of flora here, with lots of ground cover and different species of cacti, all sprouting thorns and spikes for the unwary hiker. It was a treat to finally see the Saguaro cactus in its natural habitat as it has been a symbol of the desert southwest in many a photo and movie. We were pleased to see that they were abundant outside the park, making appearances along the roadside as we continued our journey westward.

Click here for the video “DUNEs!” in the OFF-TRAIL section.

*The classic silhouette of Saguaro against sky*

*A short sun break illuminates the Saguaro*

Our last stop before hitting LA was a short visit to Joshua Tree National Park, arriving late in the afternoon with a plan to camp right outside the southern park entrance on BLM land. Soon after we started hiking and bouldering, we could see a storm approaching right up the road. Not excited about being drenched with rain, we beat feet back to the parking lot right into the teeth of the storm, which luckily turned out to be a snow squall. We reveled in the blowing snow and enjoyed the ride back down the road to our camping spot. As we buttoned up the van it was raining and blowing outside, so I was surprised to awake the next morning with bright sun streaming in through a crack in the front window shade. We opened up to crystal clear skies and beautiful weather, enjoying our ride through the park to the northern entrance before the final few hours to LA. This trip was a great opportunity to sample some of our national parks that we might not otherwise have visited. On my return trip there was no recreating for me, driving upwards of 8 hours a day to return to Colorado. Another bonus for us turned out to be a dearth of people, always a bonus in the throes of this pandemic.

*Didn’t get far before an incoming snow squall hit us (Joshua Tree National Park)*

*Teddy Bear Cholla in Joshua Tree National Park*

*New ornament for my van (Joshua Tree National Park)*