chips blown up from the altitude

We had a little change of plans... we decided that since we were so late getting to Oklahoma, that we might as well drive all night, and get to the sand dunes in the morning, so that we'd have a better chance at a good campsite. That was both a good idea, and a really bad idea. Only because it made us really tired and cranky. It was dark as we drove through Oklahoma, so we didn't really see anything. All we did see, was Oklahoma City, and a couple of oil rigs, since they were both lit up. It took us FOREVER to get to Oklahoma City, and even longer to get to Amarillo! Something like 190 miles from the OK/AR state line to Oklahoma City, and 200 miles from Oklahoma City to Amarillo! Talk about a LOT of driving!!! Once we were past Amarillo, TX, the sun started coming up. Texas was very flat, and there were cows all along the road. There was hardly any vegetation, so we all wondered what the heck they were eating! Once we reached New Mexico, we could finally get a glimpse of the Rockies! It was a while longer before we reached the sand dunes, but once we did, they were AMAZING! There's a big valley, called the San Luiz Valley, and there are mountain ranges on each side of it. They valley is very wide, and as flat as can be. Nestled up to the Sangre de Cristo mountains on the east of the valley, are these 750 ft. high sand dunes! Millions of years ago, sand was eroded from the San Juan mountains to the west, and the wind swept it to the base of the Sangre de Cristo mountains. It was too heavy to be carried over the mountains, so it settled at the foot of them. It's a pretty spectacular site to see! We played around in the dunes for the rest of the day. The next day, we went to the visitor center to learn about the dunes, and went on one of the nature trails they have. My parents decided that we should become junior park rangers, so we did. We had to learn the plants, the history, and the environment of the sand dunes. We all felt special now that we had badges, even though they meant practically nothing. Then we left after another nature hike. My parents were worried about our van, because it had been acting strangely, and we were about to go over a couple mountain passes. It did fine, luckily. Now we're in Silverthorne, at a condo that my mom's co-worker's parents let us borrow... FOR FREE!!! I have no idea what we'd have done without this condo! Once my dad gets over his altitude sickness (I already had mine at the sand dunes), we'll make a trip to Leadville to visit HMI where I'll go next spring!