By Cheryl Thiede

In 2021 I had the opportunity to live and work in Denver. Seeking safe adventure during a pandemic allowed me to enjoy scenic mountain drives, parks and hiking trails, breathtaking Rocky Mountains, clear lakes, bustling ski villages, quaint mountain towns, and the unexpected bounty of the Palisade peach trees and Western Slope vineyards.

Now when I visit Colorado for work, I ask colleagues to name their favorite mountain towns, and compiling my own list has become a fun hobby. When I saw that one suggested town, Crestone, was near an intriguing new national park, Great Sand Dunes, I booked a visit to the southeast part of Colorado.

After flying into Denver, I contentedly made the drive through the mountains to Saguache County. Approaching Crestone means driving straight at the Sangre de Cristo Mountains from the flat San Luis Valley. The mountains begin to fill the windshield, and the abstract range eventually transforms to distinct summits. My Airbnb high above Crestone had amazing views of snowy and craggy Sangre de Cristo peaks, as well as the faraway San Juan Mountains and the Tenmile Range.

The area is a designated Dark Sky Reserve, so the night glittered with stars and the quiet was unlike any I had experienced. The sunsets and sunrises were filled with pink and peach hues that burst aflame into vibrant orange before the blue mountain dusk set in. The yard was filled with twisted-trunk pines, cactus flowers and butterflies. While I worked on writing projects in the dining area, baby chipmunks scampered around the patio, often pausing to put their paws on the screen door to peer into the house and check on me.

On my designated adventure day, I drove an hour south to Great Sand Dunes, a national park since 2004. A picture in the visitor center comparing the dunes in the late 1800s to present day shows that while the lesser sand formations shift with time, the major dunes, or "megadunes," amazingly have not changed structurally in more than a century. What makes them so striking is their backdrop of the Sangre De Cristos' snowy crests. With the country's tallest sand dunes stretched before me, I donned sturdy shoes and a hat and started the trek. "Otherworldly" is the word that came to mind.

Geologists are unsure how long the dunes have been here, but they are fairly certain about their origin. Melting glaciers from the San Juan Mountains 200 miles away brought sand to the nearby valley, and wind patterns then pushed the sands up against the Sangre de Cristos, building the sand into dunes over time. I finally came to the closest dune and climbed it.

Some visitors hike the vast dunes over multiple days, and some visit at night for the dark-sky views. A popular activity is boarding down the dunes; I enjoyed the popular activity of standing and watching the boarders. In the spring, snow melt forms a stream near the dunes that draws crowds to play in the water, and they even can surf a small current.

After draining plentiful sand from my shoes, I traveled back north to the UFO Watchtower near Hooper, transitioning from the natural to the supernatural. A suggested donation in the gift shop buys admittance to the "watchtower," a scaffolding about 8 feet above the ground — not much of a boost up to the skies. My highlight was wandering the UFO Garden. A small sign informed me that psychics agree that two large Beings guard the area, which sits on two energy vortexes.

Visitors are encouraged to leave an item as an energy offering but warned not to remove anything or bad karma will result. I left a spare hair band (just in case!). Offerings others left behind ranged from coins, jewelry and toys to disco balls, new shoes and computer processing boards.

Heading back to Crestone, population 141, I decided to grab dinner in town. With just a handful of restaurants in Crestone and only one open early in the week, my decision was easy. While waiting for my Bliss Cafe takeout order, I wandered the town's few main streets, encountering more deer than people. When I passed a woman for the second time, she said we should meet and shook my hand. This is that kind of town. This is known as a spiritual destination, so Reiki, massage and psychic readings are advertised in most shop windows. A number of hot-spring retreats are nearby.

Back at my temporary home, I immersed myself one last time in the night sounds of the Colorado mountains while enjoying my tasty Radiance Crepe that was filled with Korean barbecue sauce, shrimp and vegetables. I reflected on my peaceful and productive trip, the writing I accomplished and the adventures I experienced. I found wonderful sights and remarkable quiet in this tucked-away nook of Colorado, delighting in both its natural and supernatural offerings.

WHEN YOU GO

For more information: colorado.com/cities-and-towns/crestone

The Elephant Cloud Market is one of only two places to buy groceries in Crestone, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Thiede.

In the UFO Garden north of Hooper, Colorado, offerings left by visitors cover the permanent installations in the shadow of the Sangre de Cristos Mountains. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Thiede.

The dunes at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve are the tallest in the United States. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Thiede.

Cheryl Thiede is a freelance writer. To read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

The Elephant Cloud Market is one of only two places to buy groceries in Crestone, Colorado. Photo courtesy of Cheryl Thiede.