We got a tip from a friend to check out the gator sanctuary just outside of Great Sand Dunes, and at first we were a bit hesitant. It looked every bit a run down roadside attraction, likely with a few sad looking gators in a puddle of mud.
The entrance was about what we expected, lots of out-buildings that had been pieced together, and a smallish kiosk where tickets were sold. Once we passed through the entrance double doors though things got way more interesting. We were greeted by a cockatoo, several snakes in tanks, and a creep of tortoises (that is the official word for a group of tortoises). All of the tortoises were free roaming and we got to feed a little guy a few hunks of lettuce. He must have been young and spunky as all the other tortoises appeared to be sleeping in corners. We got an intro from one of the staff members, met the birds (there was also a resident scarlet macaw) and then we explored the different tanks. Some of them had smaller lizards and geckos, others had snakes. The snakes ranged in sized from a few feet to some massive pythons that looked like they were well over 10 feet long.
Another staff member came by and asked if we wanted to hold an alligator. That didn't sound dangerous at all! Of course we said yes. The gator we were introduced to was a two year old, so not particularly large, but she was very heavy. Her tail was solid muscle and probably weighed almost as much as Remy. She was very docile and we had no problem passing her around.
After returning our gator lady to her box we continued our exploration of the indoor space before moving into the next building to check out the greenhouse area. In here we saw several adult gators and some very lush plants. There were also tilapia tanks, which were the original line of business for this property.
Once we moved out of the greenhouse to the outdoor space we really got a good look at some big gators. There were several very large males in isolated pens, and what appeared to be 40 or so juveniles lounging in a shared pond. All of the water is heated by an underground hot spring that makes it a very pleasant 80 degrees Fahrenheit. This allows the gators to be comfortable through the very cold winter.
A lot of the gators were born the same year as Dad. Perhaps long lost twins? We wound through all the different pens, taking in all of the alligators, turtles, and even a few emus. When we were finished everyone agreed that the gator farm had been a great way to start the morning. On to the dunes!
Although we could see the dunes from our previous night's campsite, the proximity was an illusion as we had to drive for more than 30 minutes to reach them. The valley is very flat, so distances are particularly hard to judge. When we finally arrived at the foot of the dunes we were very surprised to see how tall they were. These were nothing like the dunes in Oregon. They were literal mountains of sand!
We started our climb and slowly made our way up to the top of the first small dune. We took frequent rest stops as the deep sand combined with the high altitude made it very tough going. We climbed for almost an hour and a half before finally reaching our target destination, which was the first ridgeline. The dunes continue on for quite a ways, but we were content to look back down at the climb that we had just completed.
We had hauled the sled all the way up to the top, so we decided to give it a try. Some of the dunes had very steep faces that looked like they would provide a speedy and thrilling ride, but alas, the sand was too loose and the sled just dug in. Luckily this also meant we didn't have to run back up any of the dunes either.
The way back down was nice and slow, intermixed with bouts of running and some crawling. Dad attempted a bit more sledding but none of it was very successful. We finally made it back to the bottom and had a snack before hopping into the car for the rest of our drive to Taos.
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