Visiting Great Sand Dunes National Park was an unexpected exploration. Nestled at the foot of the rugged Sangre de Cristo Mountains, the wind-swept prairie deposits sand creating, from a distance, “lavender fields” of sand. Originally from Northern Maine, then living in Taos, New Mexico, I was missing beaches, clear, clean water, and the color nature green. I had heard of the Great Sand Dunes, and could not believe they existed, so one day I tossed my puppy in the car and drove to this magical place where we discovered mountains covered with snow, miles and miles of shifting sand, clear mountain water, green grass, wildlife, and tall pines. I remember taking picture after picture because I had never experienced such raw, natural beauty in one location, all the time having the feeling of walking on the moon while the sand constantly shifted, and I gazed at majestic purple hazed mountains in the background. With miles of warm beach sand, Petie, the puppy, and I ran in the sand, and wadded in the icy water, all in the middle of no man's land.