Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Travelogue


Our first day at the Sand Dunes.  The water winding through the sand.  The beginnings of the first sand castle.  Our youngest, the Lil Booger.  The dunes behind her, the blue sky above.


After supper that night (steak and hot dogs!) we watched a hailstorm cross the plains towards us. We didn't know it was a hailstorm, saw the wall of rain, saw the dust getting kicked up on the land. Seconds before the thing hit, it became clear we should get inside. Called the kids, grabbed the food, ran inside, pelted the entire time. This is the sunset that followed.


The second sand castle. Two seaports, irrigated fields, towers for the royalty and the rich, small mounds for the commoners. I asked the girls to name it, they had no interest.  We'll call it Clowncarnia.


The Hux and I at the base of Zapata Falls. Nice and cool up there. The water is melt-off from mountain snow, it makes its way down and around the dunes we played in all weekend.  When we got back home, it was 102 degrees. Yikes.

8 comments:

meno said...

That sunset is magnificent. What colors!

Gordo said...

Wow. I've only been once and we had a blast. It felt a bit weird roaring about in a desert in Colorado, but ... :-D

Marz said...

The dune/sky background in the first picture looks like the set from a Star Trek planet.
I like the black umbrella in the sand, and the sand architecture is lovely.

Hilary said...

Ah nice holiday photos..sweet to see you all enjoying the lovely weather.. but that was a hail of a sunset!

Clowncar said...

It was a magnificent sunset, meno. The colors kept shifting, minute by minute (and I can't even see most of them!).

Gord, it's dreamlike, isn't it? The unreality of playing in the water, surrounded by sand that is surrounded by mountains. You should come back!

Margaret, the only thing missing to make the Star Trek set complete were those fake styrofoam rocks. Maybe a Gorn hiding in the dunes.

Ouch, Hil! That pun hurt worse than the hailstones.

Unknown said...

The Bridge to Clowncarnia.

I haven't been there since I married you guys. If I ever get through school, we'll have to plan to go with you.

Shayna said...

Ahh, you and yours surely made some sweet memories ... seeing the sandcastles of Clowncarnia reminded me of my own childhood castle making days on the Mississippi River beaches. And how fun that you got to experience a hailstorm and then that outrageous sunset! Thanks for opening up your lovely family album.

Clowncar said...

That would be fun, Nance. The family mythology gets reinforced every time we visit: that we got married there, that you officiated, that J and D were present too, albeit unborn. How we ate lemon bars and drank champagne afterward. Then I show them the cork, which I keep in my backpack.

You're welcome, Shay. The sections of the Mississippi I've lived on did not make for good beaches (though Mpls. has some nice bluffs to play on at the shore).