Days 3 - 4 : Hot Springs and Sand Dunes!

Only 250 miles into my journey and I have my very first roadside repair. One of the belts had been screaming at us since the trip began, but I thought it simply cold weather. So we took off from Salida, but about 4 miles into the days travel, the noise became unbearable as we climbed one of the mountain passes. I pulled over and upon inspection of the belt discovered chucked missing. Egads! That can't possibly be good. Luckily, the previous owner had given me a spare belt, so I donned the coveralls (think jumpsuit) with the name Bill on it (he is apparently my handier, mechanically-inclined alter ego) and got to work! I was elbow deep under the hood while Kim prepared breakfast...and Stella just sat there hoping a squirrel would happen by. Ok, so the "repair" honestly took about 15 minutes and did not justify the donning of my Bill Jumpsuit, but then again, when else will I be able to wear this thing!?!

On the road again...

Our first stop today - some hot springs for some relaxation and rejuvenation. We traveled to Valley View Hot Springs (Orient Land Trust) near the small town of Villa Grove. Although the 10 miles of dirt road was hell on the rig and my 2 bikes attached to the back (I had no idea how much dust this mobile brick kicked up!), the hot soaking tubs and scenery made all those troubles ease away. We spent the majority of the day soaking in the tubs and the views. I highly recommend checking these hot springs out. Nice people, wonderful views and pristine waters.

Back on the road once again...

We made it to the Great Sand Dunes National Park well after nightfall and camped for the night. The next morning it was off exploring for the three of us! We hiked to the the visitor center, then started the trek up the dunes. Funny thing about dunes: 1)they seem a lot closer than they actually are; and 2)climbing them is much harder than it looks. But this did not dissuade us from our goal: to get up high enough for a spectacular view!