It is officially summer break for us. I am so excited because this means camping and road trips! I grew up camping and taking spur of the moment road trips. I will NEVER outgrow camping and road trips. I love sharing these special moments with my family! The sense of adventure, the unknown, being in nature and spending time enjoying God’s amazing creations.

Our first trip of the season was to the San Luis Valley to see the Great Sand Dunes. It was amazing! We drove through an amazing winter wonderland to get there and it was magical! Each trip we like to choose a song that represents how we are feeling. An anthem of sorts! This time we chose My House by Kacey Musgraves.

On this trip, we stayed at the Sand Dunes Swimming Pool and RV Park. It was better than we could have expected. There are several pools to enjoy. There is even an adult-only greenhouse area with several different pools. This area also has a bar with a three-drink maximum (probably a good idea). We had so much fun swimming and the water was the perfect temperature. There were also amazing mountain views. We could even see the Dunes off in the distance. It was beautiful! We enjoyed the pools so much that we didn’t even make it to the Sand Dunes this trip. Oops!
http://www.sanddunespool.com/

There are several other really fun things to check out in this area. Here are a few that we have already been to.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve is really amazing. We have been there several times and love it. There is so much to see. They even have a fun junior ranger program for kids. Here is a link to more information: https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm

The Colorado Gator Farm is also in this area. The have a variety of unique animals. They even have Morris the Hollywood Alligator from Happy Gilmore. There is also an opportunity to hold a small gator and have your picture taken with him. For information check out their website: http://www.coloradogators.com

The Fort Garland Museum is another fun place to go. Fort Garland was a military outpost in the San Luis Valley. It was once commanded by Kit Carson. Here is a link to more information: http://www.museumtrail.org/fort-garland-museum.html

The Shrine of the Stations of the Cross was built as a place of prayer. Each of the stations is represented in a beautiful way. A very peaceful, beautiful hike leads you through the last hour of Christ’s life. We really enjoyed our visit. Here is a link to more information: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/costillacounty/shrine-stations-cross

If you love quirky off the beaten path time attractions the UFO Watchtower is perfect for you. The watchtower claims to have documented sightings of UFOs. It is a fun and interesting stop. For more information check out their site: http://www.ufowatchtower.com

Jack Dempsey, otherwise known as “the Manassa Mauler”, is from the San Luis Valley. He was a professional boxer and reigning heavyweight champion from 1919-1926. There is a great museum and park dedicated to him in his hometown of Manassa. Here is a link for more information: http://www.museumtrail.org/jack-dempsey-museum.html

Here is a list of things we hope to check out next time we visit the San Luis Valley: Cumbres &Toltec Scenic Railroad, Rio Grande Scenic Railroad, Rio Grande Farm Park and Monte Vista National Wildlife Refuge.

I have created some silly grammar stories and a travel journal to go with this. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

SillyGrammerStoriesAndTravelJournal.pdf

Has your family been trippin?

SillyGrammerStoriesAndTravelJournal