The Stunning Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in Southwest Colorado

On July 30, 2025July 30, 2025 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn ColoradoLeave a comment

Located about 30 miles outside the town of Alamosa in Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes are a fascinating feature that has been created by nature over thousands of years. The giant sand dunes sitting at the base of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains highlight the diversity of habitats in southwestern Colorado, which ranges from wetlands, prairies, mountains, and forests. The sand dunes seem oddly out of place, it is almost as if a piece of an African desert was scooped up and dropped in the mountain valley. The reality is that they were created after a large lake dried up thousands of years ago and the wind drove the sand to the base of the mountains.

The People Give Perspective to the Size of the Dunes

Although the year that we visited the mountains did not receive a lot of snow and therefore the runoff was minimal, usually there is a river or stream running at the base of the sand dunes, making the contrast even more interesting. One of the good things about the stream not being there was that we didn’t have to get our feet wet in order to get to the base of the dunes, but the bad part was that it was even more sand to walk through in the heat of the sun. It is not easy walking in the sand and even harder walking up the steep sides of the dunes. They may not seem as large from the distance, but the actual peaks of the dunes can be as high as 750 feet (230 meters).

As more and more people visit the dunes, one of the most popular things to do is to bring a sandboard and go sandboarding. People will spend hours climbing to the top and then boarding their way back down. Just to reach the top is difficult, so to do it over and over again in order to shred the sand is a real achievement. It also means that you will be surrounded by plenty of crowds as people flock to the area. There is camping nearby and you will find and endless array of motorhomes and RV’s. Since it is a national park, you can expect to pay $20 per vehicle to get into the park, which is good for seven days.

It took us about three hours to drive from Colorado Springs to the Great Sand Dunes, but it is well worth the drive. We hadn’t been to the sand dunes for over twenty years, so it was also a little bit nostalgic for us as we remembered bringing our young children there to play in the sand. We only spent a couple of hours at the sand dunes as climbing the hills is very exhausting and hard on the legs. Even though we were walking in the Sahara Desert only a few weeks ago, visiting this unique place in Colorado was really something special.

Making the Most of a Trip to Colorado Springs, Colorado

On March 26, 2025March 26, 2025 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn ColoradoLeave a comment

We were fortunate to live in Colorado Springs, Colorado for many years and enjoyed taking advantage of all of the unique places to see in the area. Even though these are all popular sites for tourists to visit, they are also things that locals enjoy as well. In addition to those things in the city itself, we’ve also included a couple of day trip locations as well. Even though Denver is about an hour north of Colorado Springs, we did not include any locations there as they are worthy of their own list. No matter what you do when coming to Colorado, making sure to get out and enjoy nature is certainly the highlight of any trip to this wonderful state. Here are our recommendations, in no particular order.

IMGP4902 — Pikes Peak from Garden of the Gods

Pikes Peak – Whether driving to the top of Pikes Peak, taking the Cog Railway (when it is open), or even hiking to the top of the mountain, it is certainly a must do activity in Colorado Springs. Known as “America’s Mountain” for it being the inspiration to America the Beautiful, the views are absolutely stunning. With an elevation that is over 14,000 feet (4,250 meters), it is important to be aware of the effects of the altitude and people need to be sure to hydrate.
Behind Kissing Camels in Garden of the Gods
Garden of the Gods – Walking or driving through this geological wonder is one of the most popular things to do when visiting Colorado Springs. To say that Garden of the Gods is truly beautiful would be an extreme understatement. With various rock formations such as balancing rock, steamboat rock, and kissing camels, there is a lot to see when visiting the park.
Cadet Chapel at the Airforce Academy
The United States Air Force Academy – Located on the northern end of Colorado Springs, visiting this military campus is certainly worth the time. With many different statues depicting various aircraft and a chapel that is truly unique, it is worth going into the academy grounds and not just stopping at the viewing area that is located off of the highway. It is important to remember that this is an active military base, so there are times that it is closed to the public and you will have to show id upon reaching the gates.
View from a Hike in Mueller State Park
Mueller State Park – We loved hiking in this state park throughout the year, but it was definitely our favorite place to go when the leaves change in autumn. It is about an hour drive from Colorado Springs, but it is worth getting into the Rocky Mountains when coming to Colorado. There is also an opportunity to see a variety of wildlife in the park, so be sure to visit the visitor center and speak to the rangers to see where animals might be active.
Downtown Shops in Manitou Springs
Historic Manitou Springs – Sitting on the outskirts of town, between Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak is Manitou Springs with its western charm. Many people choose to stay in Manitou Springs when coming to Colorado Springs, but even if you don’t stay there, it is worth visiting. There are many different shops, restaurants, and interesting buildings to see in this small town.
Seven Falls from Eagles Nest
Seven Falls – Visiting this waterfall in the southern part of Colorado Springs is a popular attraction. It gives you a chance to get into the mountains without having to drive out of the city. It is a steep climb to the top of the falls, but it is certainly worth it to see the amazing views. If your even more adventurous, you can zip line in Seven Falls, but just walking through the park and eating at the restaurant at the base of the falls is worth the visit.
Colorado Springs Zoo
The Colorado Springs Zoo – Although almost every city has a zoo, the Colorado Springs Zoo is definitely different than any other zoo you may have been to. The zoo is the only mountain side zoo in America and has wonderful views of the city, especially if you go to the Will Rogers Shrine of the Sun. Make sure that you wear comfortable shoes as you will be doing a lot of walking along paths that take you higher and higher through the exhibits.
Royal Gorge Railway
The Royal Gorge Train – Going to Canon City, located about an hour outside of Colorado Springs, is worth the drive just to see the amazing canyon. For really adventurous people, you can go whitewater rafting through the gorge, but for a more relaxing time, we’d recommend taking the historic railway along the river at the base of the canyon walls.
Main Street in Cripple Creek
Cripple Creek – If you want to do a little gambling while enjoying some beautiful scenery, then a drive to Cripple Creek trip for you. It is about an hour and a half outside of Colorado Springs and is an easy day trip, but there are hotels if you would prefer to stay there. Since Mueller State Park is on the way to Cripple Creek, it can certainly be combined into a single visit.

There are a few other places that are often on people’s itineraries including the Cave of the Winds and the North Pole, but we found the above listed places to be some of the best of Colorado Springs. It is certainly a beautiful area and we would definitely recommend dedicating at least three days to the Colorado Springs area if you are planning a visit.

Hiking to See Chimpanzees in Nygugwe National Park in Rwanda

On January 12, 2024January 12, 2024 By Living The Q Life Travel AdventuresIn Rwanda6 Comments

Having already spent a day trekking to spend time with the Gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park, we were excited for our next big adventure in Rwanda. It was possible to do our itinerary in reverse where we started with the Chimpanzee and ended with the Gorilla trek, but we’re happy that we ended up doing it in the order that we did. Trekking to visit with the Gorillas was extremely strenuous with most of the time spent going up and down the sides of steep hills where we had to hack our way through the thick jungle foliage. Trekking to see the chimpanzees was pretty much the complete opposite where we hiked on a trail through a forest, which is completely different than going off-trail through a jungle. Just like our trek to see the gorillas, though, we did luck out as the weather was concerned and the rain held off until after our trek was complete.

Our hike started early in the morning and our guides let us know that we needed to get to the location where the chimpanzees were sleeping before they woke or we might have to follow them or maybe not see them at all. Once they become active and start moving through the canopy, they can become difficult to see, but apparently our chimpanzee family had been fighting with baboons the night before and were extra tired. Once we arrived at the location where the chimpanzees were sleeping, we began the waiting game for them to climb down from the treetops to join us on the ground. Eventually they did climb down and they moved around us, which was not only exciting for us, but was equally exciting for our guides as they said this was one of the best encounters that they had experienced.

Walking Past Us

Time to Get Moving

The chimpanzees, however, were not particularly impressed with our presence and mostly ignored us and turned their backs towards us. Unlike the gorillas who were as fascinated with us as we were with them, the chimpanzees seemed to find us to be an annoyance that they needed to avoid before going about their daily activities. We were able to get some interesting videos and photographs before hiking back out of the forest and heading back to our lodge to enjoy lunch. From start to finish, the trek only took us about six hours and it was far less strenuous than the gorilla trekking, but that isn’t to say that it wasn’t strenuous at all as we were still hiking up and down the mountainside. Had this been our first adventure in Rwanda, it might have made our expectations for the gorilla trek slightly different, but as it was we were expecting it to be as difficult as the gorilla trek and it was quite the relief that it wasn’t.

Getting Out of Bed

Baby Jumping on Mom

Keeping an Eye on Us

Both of our trekking experiences in Rwanda were absolutely amazing and something that we will treasure forever. These animals are much larger than you realize until they are right next to you and to see them in the wild is truly fascinating. Knowing that very few people get the opportunity to do what we were able to do also adds to the uniqueness of the memory.