Follow Up to New Mexico and The Great Sand Dunes (read El's post below, first)

- The prevailing theory on the formation of the Great Sand Dunes is an interesting one. Scientists believe that the waterways that come out of the San Cristobal Mountains carry sand that the water had sheared from the rocks over which it flows. This sand is then brought out into the plains at the foothills of the mountains and deposited there via the streams. So far we are dealing with fairly standard geological cycles but here’s where it gets weird.

The valley where the sand is deposited has a strong southwesterly wind (we can verify from our hike on the dunes) that blows directly countercurrent to the streams coming from the mountains. So what ends up happening is the sand is brought out of the mountains by the rivers and then blown right back up against the mountains, forming large deposits and hence, The Great Sand Dunes.

I’m not a scientist. I’m not a geologist. I’m not a park ranger. In fact, I’m not even employed right now. But I don’t buy it. What I’m hearing is that of all the waterways that come out of mountains, in all the world, this one here in Colorado has formed MASSIVE sand dunes just because it has a prevailing wind that blows up river? Really? No where else does this happen? The Andes, Himalayas, White Mountains, Pyrenees, Alps or any other great mountain range all have winds that blow exclusively downstream? I’m sure the story is a little more complex for the Great Sand Dunes, but I did all the reading at the ranger station and this is what it boiled down to. I don’t have an explanation for them but this one just seems too simple. They could have at least thrown in the whole “a small minority of scientists think they were formed by extra-terrestrial life” to spice things up.

- Taos was a pretty cool place and I’d love to ski the mountain. Its apparently one of the steepest in the US and it certainly looks it.

- The camp manager at Enchanted Moon was missing his front four teeth on the top AND bottom. I really don’t know what he could eat. Nice guy though.

- I am situationaly acrophobic and did not entirely enjoy my time standing on the Rio Grande Bridge.

- The Pueblo was an interesting place. El said it in her post, but you never knew whether to feel as if you were exploiting these people or if this was just how it is (whatever that means). I have more thoughts on this but don’t feel like typing them right now.

- Its very clear that the throughway from New Mexico to Arizona is used more for tourism than commerce. El and I are pretty sure that campers, RVs and cars packed to the brim with gear (like us) far out number the big rigs and tankers that make their way around here, very different from I-80 in Nebraska.

- Landscape-wise, the drive from Santa Fe to Sedona has been pretty cool. Some spots are barren but others sport some pretty wild topography. As is the case with most of the Southwest, there are varying types of soil present that wash away or accumulate over time leaving crazy looking butte or gorge structures. Some of these look like great barges with clay hulls. Others look like someone took a large scoop out of a multi-flavored, pastel colored bin of ice cream and spread it over the dessert. They can be jagged or gentle in stature but they are always impressive. This feels like an area an alien would want to land. I believe it now. Especially after seeing about a hundred signs about it from the locals.

(pick up my sarcasm)

- In case you’re wondering, that’s a skinned bull elk and the bumper sticker says “Sportsmen for Bush in ’04.” Nice.