it's been a long time since i rock and rolled

after making a nice stop through albuquerque and el paso, i'm back in houston. i thought spending winter in colorado would toughen me up but i have to admit it's a little chilly these days.

i had a big day the day i left colorado. i packed all my things into my tiny vw rabbit and hit the road at about 11am. james told me about great sand dunes national monument the day before i left and at the last minute, i decided to make a little detour to check it out. i'm glad i did. getting there took me off the main interstate for a more scenic drive. i went though a mountain pass and emerged in a valley covered in snow. on either side of the road, you could only make out the tops of the wire fences.

i was only at great sand dunes for an hour or so, but it was time enough to take a walk out. the sand dunes are the tallest in north america. they're formed in a kind of nook where the surrounding mountain ranges meet.

the wind is incredible there. i was chilled pretty quickly although i was walking in the afternoon sun. fortunately, the wind wasn't throwing sand in my face. the sand bounced along close to the ground, looking like smoke or fog running past my feet. i also saw a tumbleweed go past me. i had never seen one except from inside of a moving car. the tumbleweed had a funny way of moving, doing a cartwheel then leaping off it's back foot into the next movement.

after leaving, it was about 8 hours to el paso. the drive went by surprisingly easily. i remember the first time i drove from houston to el paso by myself. it was about 11 hours and in that time, i had gone through 6 cd's and restlessly sang and screamed out loud to stay sane. on the drive from colorado springs to el paso, i only played 2 cd's and most of the time i had the stereo off. compared to my 19 hour drive to colorado from houston, it was a piece of cake.

more about my adventures in the southwest later.