Roving Reports by Doug P: 2020-24 Salida to Great Sand Dunes, Colorado

2020-24

San Luis State Wildlife Area.

Salida Colorado
Great Sand Dunes national park

Campground: Salida, Walmart. Free parking 24 hrs only.

Campground: San Luis State Wildlife Area. A Former Colorado State Park. Cost: Daily, 5 day, or yearly Fishing pass. I paid $32.14 for a 5 day fishing license (out of state price) making my daily fee $6.41. nice covered picnic table, 30/50 amp electric hookups. Water (currently not available) and dump station.

San Luis State Wildlife Area. campground, a former Colorado State park

Plans change and that can be a good thing. I headed to Salida where I’d ordered my mail to be delivered General Delivery. I now request postal tracking as I then know exactly when it has been received by the local post office.

Salida Colorado

I like this town very much. They have a vibrant old part of downtown. A number of blocks have been blocked to vehicle traffic. Will hopefully come back when there this pandemic is under control.

In the mean time I stopped in the visitor center and picked up a couple of maps for bike trails in town. They also have an extensive network of bike trails in the surrounding forests and mountains.

What a great way to tour a town, as they have an ever expanding network of bike paths. I enjoyed the morning, riding my e-bike “little zippy” into town. Along the river for bit and then, since it was early morning, I rode around the downtown area for a while, before getting back on the bike paths. So exhilarating. I discovered there is a bike spur real close to the Walmarts as well.

Ace hardware, propane fill up

excellent system of bike trails in town, Salida CO

After refilling my propane tank, I’ve been using Ace hardware stores quite a bit lately. Then it was off to find a dump station and fresh water. A visitor center (Poncha Springs) just outside of Salida has a dump station, cost $10 and potable water is free. And they permit 24 hr overnight parking Rv’s.

RV TIP: If there is no one in line to use the water faucet at a dump station, I have my hose ready with a good tight spray nozzle and do a quick hose down of the road dust on the camper. Concentrating on the bottom half on each side and washing the whole back end. I’m usually able to get most of the dirt and dust hosed off quickly and I’m on my way. I don’t bring out the scrubbing brush, just a quick hose-down.

I had a choice today of staying one more day or even a couple of days in the Salida area, so I checked out the closest BLM boondocking site. It turned out to be a nice site, though getting to it would not work for an Rv longer than 26-28 ft as I had to pass between a couple of railroad concrete pillars to get to the site. Along the Arkansas river. Pretty spot. Across the river, I could hear traffic noise from the highway. Just didn’t feel right, perhaps too isolated for my tastes.

signs along BLM dispersed camping, outside of Salida CO

should have turned left, I turned right....

had to drive under an old railroad track bridge

might have had something to do with
my decision to move on....

not recommended for larger rigs....

pretty site, but getting here, well
not the best

Great Sand Dunes NP.

So having a couple of options, including staying overnight at the visitor center outside of town, I decided to head on down to a unique spot outside of the Great Sand Dunes NP. San Luis State Wildlife Area which was formerly a Colorado State Park. What a unique campground. For about $6.50 a night (for cost of an out of state fishing license) I could stay at the campground. Picnic table, shelter, and electric hookups.

What makes this such a good deal is that Colorado state parks typically charge an entrance fee $9.oo and a camping fee, $28.oo. They even charge for Primitive/Dispersed sites, $18.oo. Oh and there’s a reservation fee as well.

San Luis State Wildlife Area which was formerly a Colorado State Park
entrance

hmmm, what was danger....

I'll make it back to this campsite again

first views of Great Sand Dunes
from campground, 20 miles away
yes they appeared white on the first day I arrived

and electric, what a deal

I’m sure it won’t last, but I’m using it for now. This campground is on a large open plane, filled with sage and other low scrub as flat as can be to the horizon to the west. To the east are mountain ranges and the Sand Dunes NP. The sage was fragrant as I arrived at my campsite.

So the bottom line, San Luis State Wildlife Area campground is one of my favorite campgrounds of this seasons camping. You already know I love a bargain and this park with electric, and covered picnic table and paved pull-thru, well I feel like I’ve landed in one of those fancy “resort campgrounds”. It really doesn’t take much to make me happy.

Sound Bar, Music, TV

Recently along with getting a new flat screen tv, I purchased a Vizio sound bar for the Tv. Works great as the speakers on Tv’s really are lousy. It’s serving two purposes, besides enhancing the Tv sound, I’m able to connect to it via Bluetooth with my tablet or cell phone for connecting to internet radio. I’m currently using an app called Radio FM. Tons of free radio stations from all over the world. Categorized by type of music. What a treat. Good sound, good music, you can almost see me twirling, dancing and singing for joy. Thank goodness you actually can’t see me (grins and giggles)

Great Sand Dunes National Park

The following day, even with the skies still a bit overcast and lots of low hanging fog on the mountain range near the Great Sand Dunes NP, I decided it might make for a couple of good pictures, sans blue skies. So with that in mind I had my coffee, oatmeal for breakfast and then I was off to the Dunes on the other side of the lake.

heading to the Great Sand Dunes NP
highest sand dunes in U.S.

What an interesting park. Though they have a large visitor center and a campground, the road past the entrance pay station is barely a mile in length with only one road leading to a picnic area/ sand dune access. A 4 wheel dirt road is available, for those so equipped which leaves 90 percent of us out. Limiting the average day visitor to two small dirt parking lots for hiking trails and the larger parking lot for picnic and dunes access.

I had gotten here early and had no trouble getting a parking spot. By the time I left a couple hours later, the traffic entering the park was a steady stream and the parking lot was full. Wonder if they have a limit to those entering?

And oh my, that is one big sand dunes. Tallest in the U.S. Largest I’ve ever seen. Because it rained out yesterday, the dunes are a dark gray/brown as opposed to their normal lighter tan color. And from a distance, my campsite, with light shining on them yesterday before the rains, they turned almost pure white. I did climb up a set of the dunes, but did not venture to the very tip-pity top of the dunes. Fun watching the families trying to sled down the sides of the dunes. A bit too wet for any good action, but still, I could tell they were all having more than enough fun. Others sitting on the dunes, having a nice chat or just walking along the top ridges of the dunes.