Horizontal: New Mexico

Day 7: July 4, 2005

John Denver says hey.

A cool looking silo thing.

The Sangre de Cisto Mountains, towards which we drive to find...

Great Sand Dunes National Park. Check those sandy suckers out.

How did enormous sand dunes end up in the middle of Colorado? The visitors center was closed, so I have no idea.

Sunset over the dunes on July 4th.

Another shot of the dunes.

Over the S to the de to the C mountains in the east, some cool cloud formations.

There were some nice clouds over the dunes, too.

Look at the deer!

We have a daunting climb ahead of us (of questionable legality).

Look at all those footprints. It's like a polytheistic version of that one Jesus poster.

After an arduous and sandy journey, we reach the top. The camera can't focus in the low light, so everything ends up looking awesome like the "Transmission" video.

Watching the fireworks in Alamosa from atop the dunes. Nops digs it...

T-neck digs it...

Dilophosaurus digs it...

Nightfall over the dunes, the end of week #1.

Day 8: July 5, 2005

Our mosquito-plagued camp site at Sand Dunes.

Two more dune shot on our departure.

An idyllic mountain farm.

Our first views of the Rockies

Martinek checks out the view.

Uncle communes with nature.

San Isabel National Forest.

Having cut his foot, Nops applies the best remedy--a seven-year-old Jar Jar Binks Band-Aid.

Goin' on down.

Stuck in traffic, of course.

But at least in a scenic spot.

We stop in Denver to check out the town and grab some food at a brewpub.

Denver wanted in housing, so we changed our plans and headed to Boulder.

Boulder turned out to be in this author's opinion the greatest city in America. Eat me, New York. Touring of Brewpubs was had, but ironically, less hippie action than OBX.

Martinek chills in the University Inn.

Day 9: July 6, 2005

Outside Boulder we spot the yellow truck again. We'd seen him before and we'd see him again.

More traffic. Colorado was notorious.

But the scenery still made up for it.

Heading into the mountains, toward Rocky Mountain National Park.

The resort town of Estes Park is sort of the gateway to the park. Martinek strikes the Summit Pose again (see the July 2002 newsletter of the CUTC).

Here T-neck engages in close-up fast-action nature photography which his camera is in no way equipped to handle.

But tell me this vicious chipmunk isn't damn cute!

Having captured the picture and released his quarry, T-neck moves on to pursue a flash of blue in the trees...

A grainy image of the fabled Steller's Jay!

Nops suggests we quick messing around like we were the Wildboyz, and enter Estes Park.

Lofty peaks of the Rockies.

Aaaaaaand more traffic.

Rocky peaks at the entrance to the National Park.

T-neck grabs one of many mountain pictures.

Pines and mountains.

Nops gets a better view.

Mountain foilage.

Look at the... I don't know what this is. Some kinda bird I guess.

Stunning vistas!

T-neck strikes the pose and watches some mountains.

Intermittent rain sweeps down from the seething clouds above.

Rocky rain curtain.

Look at the elk!

Patches of snow, and there aren't any kids in this one.

Two minutes after mounting an expedition to the summit of this mountain, Martinek and Nops realize they did not dress for freezing rain and hail.

Jackets now keep them toasty warm!

The hills are alive!

The continental divide!

Representing the East Coast, T-pac T-neck! Frontin' for the West Side, The Notorious H-O-P. This is one of two pictures with both of us together. Thanks lady!