Great Sand Dunes National Park, Day 3

When the sun rose on the third day, I was better prepared. With camera properly in hand, I snapped this shot with the sun to my back as it started to illuminate the sky behind the dunes. 

The moon was full and bright just before the sun popped up from behind the mountain range behind me. 

Trees are plentiful near the mountains, but become much more scarce the closer you get to the dunes. Still, some large ones have managed to survive the sandy terrain. 

The sky was mostly clear this morning, but here you can see the start of some clouds heading over the park. By sunset, a snowstorm would engulf the area. 

After another day hike, we packed up our tent and packs and headed out. This picture was taken as we passed by the dunes we climbed the day before. The wind had not yet swept away our footprints. 

Another shot of the dunes as we made our way back to the car. 

We actually saw many deer during our hikes. This family stared at us for a little while before slowly making its way behind some trees. 

After we made it back to the car, we parked at a popular visitor location. The scenery was spectacular. 

The lighting created by clouds of the incoming snowstorm was incredible. 

This beautiful bird is a Magpie. It's relatively large and seems to be quite common in Colorado. I had seen it many times during my stay. 

The wind blown sand surface. 

Another picture of the spectacular landscape. 

Closeup of the dunes. 

Pat explores the area as the snowstorm moves in. 

The Rockies provide a nice backdrop for the dunes. 

More dunes! 

Here's a snapshot I took as we were driving out of the park. 

Another shot taken while driving.