The Space Between Winter and Summer

With the season coming to a close and another season on its way I decided it was time to head back to MN, see some friends and pick up the bikes.  It is a solid 16 hour drive of absolutely nothing.  Once you leave The Rockies, it all looks same until you hit Minnesota.

"Nowhere, Nebraska". A forgotten plane near an old gas station.

My dad had spent a good part of the winter tearing down and rebuilding my collection of bikes.  With a nearly professional grade bike shop taking up his parking space in the garage, he couldn't resist taking on the challenge.  With bikes ranging from road to a full blown downhill bike, he was able to hone his skills on a wide range of disciplines.  Tearing down a bike in an RV was simply not an option.  He got some practice while I got some cheap labor(thanks again!). 
In addition to the bike rebuilds, my parents let me enlist the services of the old bike trailer.  Still sporting stickers from my racing days back in MN.  A new set of tires, new bearings, and a home made bike rack, it was ready for the trip.

My armada of bikes, ready for battle.

From Left to Right. Specialized Enduro, Specialized Demo II, Specialized P2, and Specialized S-Works.

I spent about week back home before the return drive to Breck.  It was nice to see friends and family, but I was ready for the next leg of the trip.

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The mountain closed on April 27th.  The season went out with a bash, with concerts, beer tents, and some closing day debaucheries. Some of the seasonal employees headed home for mud season, while others migrated closer to the equator. Those of us who stayed around were looking for some interim adventures.
A trip to The Great Sand Dunes National Park was organized and we headed out the day after closing.  With a fleet of 3 vehicles full of camping gear and unemployed instructors, we headed south.  It was about a 3 hour drive, the snow quickly disappeared and temperature rose.  It was a welcomed change.

"Ski School Crew" heading to The Dunes.

The last lonely gas station, with tumbleweed to boot.

4 wheel drive required beyond this point.

Once we arrived we decided to head back to one of the primitive camp sites.  It was about a 5 mile trek back into the foothills, rolling through roads of sand and creek crossings. Travel was slow but worth it for our own private wilderness.  We took the last site before the road closed and made camp for the two nights. 

1 of 4 creek crossings.

Well what do we have here???

A little hung up on the bike rack. I will admit though, it was mostly operator error...

A quick yank from the Jeep and we were back on the road.

Yota

We spent the next day exploring the dunes.  A couple of the girls even brought their snowboards to do some sand-boarding(I think that's what you'd call it?).  The area was beautiful.  Mountains surrounding the valley, snow capped peaks, and endless sand.  The dunes are actually formed from winds blowing across the valley, where the sand is caught in a sort of mountain bottle neck. 

Brown Pow

At the summit of the constantly changing peeks.

The girls shredding the sand.

We also did some hiking in the surrounding area.  We explored on of the water falls near the dunes called Zappata Falls.  Our timing was perfect for the hike.  We were able to walk up stream and into the actual water fall.  A few days later and the stream would have been melted.

Inside Zappata Falls.

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Now it was time to prepare for bike season,  move off my lot, and figure out what I'm going to do with an RV, an SUV, and a cargo trailer full of bikes...

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Here are a couple pictures of the space between winter and summer, aka "Mud Season".

Main Street, Breck.

Found this on the Adventure Journal website.