Golden Dunes

Go west! Fulfilling the urge for my wanderlust, a journey emanated to see the grandeur of our country. Excited to be the leader on this modern day expedition while also reminiscing of the trips decades before as a boy. What did I want from the memories, snapshots or epic photographs? Capturing the beauty of this country with its diverse nature and wilderness along with fabulous snapshots of the family was my desire.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park, in Colorado, one of many sights we sought to visit with shortcuts and detours the summer of 2010, along with a new friend, my camera. 

The Dunes were calling me. We were so close there was no option but go.  After a day exploring we were heading back from Medano Creek. One last look I told the kids. Let's hike to the top! On our way, this was our view. What an epic view it was. Only took a few shots waiting for the moments when people dipped out of sight. 

CRACK, BOOM, BANG! A storm starts rolling in and along with it, our hopes of reaching the top of the dunes were dashed. Then it starts. Rain. Once we are all safe in the car, the real show starts and the heavy rain begins to pour. 

If you look closely, far away, near the top of the dune, you see a solitary person, walking, heading into the dune field ready to connect dune to sky. I'm drawn to the golds and blues of this image and the sheer scale of the dune field and the randomness of patterns in the sand and sky. The series of pictures as the rain starts and darkens the sand are very interesting. The change in the matter of seconds and minutes really stands out both in my memory and the images captured.

Returning to the dunes in 2016 in an attempt to duplicate this day, I can say with certainty, I did capture the epic photographs sought and the snapshots my family holds dear.