Before getting to San Luis SP, we camped at Elephant Butte, NM. Elephant Butte is about 140 miles south of Albuquerque.

Our next campsite was at San Luis SP, CO. This was a dry campsite since the park water was polluted and no fires were allowed because of a severe fire warning. The sky was obscured by the smoke from a large forest fire about 50 miles west near South Fork. Each morning a coat of ash was on the truck and camper.

The size of the sand dunes was very large, with a small intermittant stream flowing on the east side.

South of the dunes is a small village named San Luis. It has a beautiful shrine containing 15 bigger than life sculptures. Each sculpture is a "station of the cross". From a religious view, they are very moving. From an art standpoint they are unequaled.

Our next campground was in Manitou Springs, near Colorado Springs, CO. We had heard a lot about Pikes Peak from our family and decided to go to the top. Since the cog railroad was only two miles from the campground , we opted to take it to the summit. It was an awesome ride, not scarey, just beautiful.

We took two day trips, one to Florissant Fossil Beds NM, a, fossil lovers dream, and one to a park on the edge of Colorado Springs, Garden of the Gods.

Now, on to Nebraska, via southeast Wyoming.