Incredible, Zach! Love your pics--always! Since I'm a "flying person," I like the "flying" ones best--especially the "blue sky" one, that you also posted on the other thread! I've never seen one Up Close And Personal! It must be amazing! And then so many of them!

When I'm "going south and west" I go right by Monte Vista, don't even go thru it--"cut off the corner" by taking Rt 112 from Center to Del Norte (a nice "speedy" little road!) It's 400 miles from Denver to Cortez, a long drive for one day--At My Age!--so I cut any corners I can!

Many, MANY year ago I (and husband-at-the-time!) went to the TOP of the Sand Dunes! Sounds easy! It's not! It was summer! Hot! Dry! We picked the highest dune and started up! For each step UP we slid a half a step BACK! HOT sand! We got to the TOP of the highest dune--and discovered there was a HIGHER one behind it! Go half way down--and start UP again! Repeat! Repeat! Repeat! We did eventually get to the TOP, and, WOW, is it ever an amazing view up there! You can, obviously, see ALL the dunes from up there--and you're looking at the ENTIRE Sangre de Cristo Range--from HIGH up! Down the "back side" of the dunes, into a "green valley," and then up to the top of the mountains! An incredible picture that's been in my head ever since! If you get back down there I HIGHLY recommend it--at least once in a lifetime!

Skybird

Nice pictures, Zach! Didn't know that about the sand hill cranes... that's a lot of birds!

The Valley definitely has some beautiful spots, and the views are (as you said) stunning. Thanks for sharing!

Thank you Skybird and Oladon! I have a lot of "flying ones" since that is the only time they wanted to come in close was when they were safely airborne lol. Most of the time when they were on the ground they were pretty far out. The few close up shots I got I pulled over on the side of the highway next to a farm field between Alamosa and Monte Vista to get. Before this I had never seen sandhill cranes below 30,000 feet cruising altitude when they once flew over the Arsenal heading south last fall. Even then, you could mostly hear rather than see them! If you have never heard a sandhill crane, it's a pretty interesting noise, like turkey crossed with a goose.

If you ever head to Cortez (which is a looooooong drive for anyone coming from Denver, age not withstanding) in late February-Mid March I do highly recommend Monte Vista for the cranes. Of course the National Wildlife Refuge (which goes by the same name) would have some interesting things to see all throughout the spring and summer, and the auto tour isn't terribly long. Not sure how much that would put you out of your way, but maybe worth it at least once (I am required, as a Fish and Wildlife employee, to plug for us you know. We need all the support we can get ;)).

I did enjoy Sand Dunes a lot and Dustin had the best time. The weather was perfect, though we got lucky, it's hit or miss this time of year, and the sand wasn't very hot. We never made it to the top (did you know they are the tallest sand dunes in North America?) we were having too much fun sliding down the "cliffs." I would love to make it down there again, of course we talk about going back to the Four Corners region every single year, too, but never seem to make it. There really are so many places in Colorado that go unappreciated, I think. Too often people forget there is an entire state outside the Front Range.

Yeah Oladon, it is a tremendous amount of birds, especially when they all took off from the grain field at once. Now, I don't think all 20,000 were right there, but it was very cool to see, nonetheless.

Most refuges are managed for migratory birds (our biologist out at the Arsenal liked to call us "duck farmers") and Monte Vista is no different. While the birds have been using the Valley as a major way-station for thousands of years, the management plan for the refuge includes plating barley fields and maintaining the wetlands specifically to provide for the cranes, and to a lesser extent waterfowl. Of course that does in turn benefit a myriad of other wetland and riparian species, including the endangered southwestern willow flycatcher. The guy I was talking to down there said several years ago they had 22 SW willow flycatcher nesting territories and by two years ago they were down to only 3. But one of the big projects (not sure if it was Monte Vista or Alamosa NWR) was restoring willow habitat and he said he is very optimistic for this years numbers.

Another cool project being carried out by a graduate student at the refuge is banding and tracking cinnamon teal, a type of duck which only live in the Intermountain West. He said one of the cool things she has found out was their migration is not only north-south but also east-west. Some of their tagged and banded birds are showing up in California for the winter, and another was found by a biologist in Mexico and now the program is internationally recognized.

Beautiful scenery and cool conservation...if only there was a place for my wife to work down there, I might put in for a transfer ;).

But then you'd have to LIVE there...just kidding!! :D

I grew up in Alamosa, spent every summer weekend in the San Juans or at the dunes. I remember when they officially put protection in place for the wetlands ('About time!', everyone yelled). Make sure you hit Zapata Falls next time you're at the dunes! And if you're on the other side of the valley the area around Creede (Mineral County)/Lake City is amazing.

Thanks for mentioning Zapata Falls, Amy! I found that a few years back and had it on my List of Things To Do Some Day, but have always been doing the Four Hundred Mile Drive since I ran into them, and that is definitely not a thing to do in the "middle" of a 400 mile drive! This fall I'll just be going from Red Valley, AZ, not far south of Cortez, to near Buena Vista on my fall trip, so not that far, and I think it'll be a perfect time to make a stop there! I pulled my bookmarks from "where they were saved" and stuck them in my Fall 2017 folder so I won't forget about it! It's on the menu for September!

I checked out the Monte Vista Wildlife Refuge too, Zach, and from what I can find online it looks pretty much like you just drive around on "rural roads!" Do you have any specific recommendations? Links to any sites?

And, if you need any incentive for Four Corners!

http://www.utemountaintribalpark.info/index.html

Skybird

I'm not too familiar with the San Luis NWR complex (Alamosa, Monte Vista, and Baca NWRs) just from what I have seen while I was down there earlier this month (Baca, while it is the largest NWR in Colorado, is currently not open to the public). I can look stuff up on the USFWS Region 6 website at work and find anything out there. You can access the website, too, and I would link it if I had internet but right now all I have is my phone.

The refuge from what I saw was about what you described. There is an auto tour (paved) with some trails around a few of the wetland areas. The big draw there is, of course, the cranes. They will be back in the fall on their way back to Bosque del Apache in New Mexico for the winter, but they will be a little more dispersed than in the spring.

The thing to remember about refuges is that, unlike national parks, they are managed more specifically for wildlife rather than recreation.

I definitely want to go back there Skybird, and if we did this year I was thinking May. They have a bird event but I don't know if it's free like the Crane tours.....

Here is the Region 6 homepage that will give you direction and links to all the refuges in Montana, Wyoming, the Dakota's, Nebraska, Kansas, Utah, and Colorado.

https://www.fws.gov/mountain-prairie/index.php

It will also give you news about conservation efforts and projects going on in the region, it's pretty neat.

And if you were interested in U.S. FWS stuff in New Mexico and Arizona, since I know you spend a lot of time around the Four Corners area, that is Region 2.

https://www.fws.gov/southwest/

This brings back such wonderful memories. We used to take my mom, an avid birder, to see them whenever she came to Colorado. I miss her so.

Thank you for posting.

Diane

My aunt used to live in Crestone and then bought a house on the Baca. Crazy.

I love Buena Vista. Make sure you call it "Buenie" so they'll know you're a local. Never mispronounce "Saguache" and if you say "CrestED Butte" you're city folk. :)

Diane, Im so glad I could bring back some good memories of your mother for you!

Lol Amy, being one of the very few people at work born and raised in Colorado your post made me chuckle. Usually it's me who is telling people how to pronounce places like Ouray, Del Norte, Uncompahgre, and one of my favorites, Tabegauche.

Interestingly (I think!), Zach, I learned recently that the Northern Utes, in northern Utah pronounce Ouray, oh-ray! I was surprised! I've spent my entire "Colorado life" (since 1964) telling people "our" way to pronounce it--and will continue to do that!

Sa-gau-chee is one of my favorites! Just kidding!!! And how about Huerfano!!! Who-er-fan-oh, right?????

How about this one, Zach? Weminuche Wilderness! (Weminuche Indians = Ute Mountain Ute Indians)

;-)

Skybird

That is what I heard once, that or-ay/oh-ray is more "linguistically" correct, but I have never heard anyone actually say it that way.

Course my grandmother, who is also a Colorado native and whos parents and grandparents were too, calls Pueblo "Pew-ee-blow" and I know lots of "old timers" who drop the "-ay" of "Mesa Verde" and call it "May-suh Vurd"

The real question however is, is it "Col-uh-RAD-oh" or "Col-uh-RAWD-oh" and are we Coloradans or Coloradoans?