There's a Desert up here??

Hello again, avid readers! I know you've been trembling with antici----------       pation.. for my next post. It's been about two days since I got into Colorado, and apparently I brought some bad Michigan weather with me. Here's my view of Mount Blanca (and for those of you who don't habla espanol, that means, Mount Whitey) on these first couple days--

This is, of course, the view from the the Kleine Deter's backyard. (I don't know how they stand it.) But, when I commented on the panoramic vista and gorgeous open spaces, the family scoffed at me and cursed me for bringing cloud-filled days of light snow and rain. It wasn't until mid-afternoon on the second day that the weather moved on and my eyes were opened...

Unfortunately, of course, the pictures doesn't do the experience justice; standing there with fields stretching out in front of you, disappearing into the blue haze and melding with the white-capped mountains... I still can't get over it.

Then, yesterday, one of Josh's (the friend that I'm staying with) college friends, Lisa, came up from California to see us. It turns out that she is on a journey too-- across the United States, mostly on the east side, seeing family and friends... But more importantly, making a point to stop at all local breweries and pubs along the way. Turns out she's a bit of a beer snob, and while we were in Del Norte (spanish for "of the north") we stopped by an up-and-coming brewery called Three Barrel.

Turns out it's SO up and coming, that it's something of a second job for the owner, and the brewing process itself is done in the back of his insurance company's office! But, Josh was good friends with him and we got to enjoy a private tasting, and I must say... there was not a beer that I did not like (and I've never been much of a beer expert.) Josh and Lisa would analyze each beer, emphasizing their knowledge with advanced terminology that I was content to sit back and soak in, while soaking up the tasty beers.

It was really interesting to learn how varied and unique beers can be, and to get an inside look on the small business vs. large corporation aspect of a fairly new brewery.

Then today, we decided to have adventure time, and headed out to one of the nearby wonders of the world, the Great Sand Dunes National Park. The dunes were formed because of the unique positioning of the mountains, streams, and winds in the valley. The sediment is brought down from the mountains via the streams, then blown backwards towards the mountains by the wind, where it collects into massive sand dunes. In the summer, they have spring streams that flow at their bases and the sand is just as hot as any beach, but we were there in the winter, just after a snow.

And there's the lovely Lisa and Josh. Aren't they cute?? We trekked into the wide open dunes, but decided to not journey to the top of the dunes, per some advice from Josh, who claimed the view was not worth the sand-filled hike. I choose to believe him.

Really gorgeous. The snow snaking along the dune's ridges was such a strange combination of natural elements. Once we had had our fill of the chilly desert, we moved on to a more... New Age-y destination.

A small town near the base of the Sango de Cristo mountain range that encircles the valley (the Blood of Christ, so named for the pinkish hue the mountains take on in the setting sun) named Crestone boasts a unique history. In the 1970s, the owner of the land is said to have discovered a set of unique crystals in some caves underneath the mountain, and was inspired to create a community that would be a world spiritual center. By 2006, several homes and businesses had begun to inhabit the area,
including but not limited to: a Hindu temple, a Zen center, a co-ed Carmelite monastery, and several Tibetan centers.

We decided to take a quick tour of the town through our van, and if I wasn't a person who disagrees with stereotyping, I would agree that the town fit every single one of them. Taking a road out away from the town, we wound around the mountain's base on an increasingly difficult single-lane road. We passed many signs for the retreats and centers nestled away in the mountains, but we finally stopped at a Tibetan Buddhist stupa, apparently filled with many important relics, including the bones and hair of some of their spiritual leaders.

We circumambulated, per tradition in a clockwise manner, enjoyed the view, then headed back down the mountain. But, on the way, we managed to get some killer shots of the country side.

Finally, we returned home to some delicious craft beers, deep fried chicken wings, and homemade hamburgers while the moon began to take over the sky, casting the shroud of twilight across the land. All in a day's journey.

Phew! All that, and some cool links!
Information on Crestone
Lisa's BeerAdvocates.com profile (for my beer snob friends!)
Three Barrel Brewing Company Support your local brewery!