Best of 2015 – Part 4

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aspen, great sand dunes national park, photography, pinyon pine, postaday

Part 4 and the last one of this series, is about scenes at an often overlooked national park, Great Sand Dunes National Park near Mosca, Colorado. The park rangers were friendly, and visitors of all ages, from babies to seniors, seemed to be having a good time hiking or sliding down the dunes. I took pictures from sunrise to sunset and could have taken a lot more. Some of the following photos have not been published before on this blog.

Sunrise over Sangre de Cristo mountains at Great Sand Dunes National Park, October 2015.

Great Sand Dunes in the morning, October 2015.

Great Sand Dunes in the afternoon, October 2015.

Great Sand Dunes in the afternoon, October 2015.

Visitor at Great Sand Dunes , October 2015.

Man and his best friend at Great Sand Dunes, October 2015.

Aspens and Pinyon Pines at Great Sand Dunes National Park, October 2015.

Pinyon Pine

Tags

great sand dunes national park, photography, pinyon pine, postaday

Pinyon Pines grow in the states of Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. So it was no coincidence that during my recent road trip I took a good number of photos of these trees, sometimes without intending to do so.

The nuts from Pinyon Pines have been harvested by Native Americans for thousands of years up to the present day, and have been a providential part of their diet especially when game was scarce and other crops were not doing well. Pine nuts are a good source of protein, fat, and fiber, all essentials nutrients for humans.

Pinyon Pine Cones and nuts at Great Sand Dunes National Park.

Great Sand Dunes with Pinyon Pines in foreground. Medano Creek , much thinner at this time of the year runs at the feet of the dunes.

Rows of Aspens with Pinyon Pines in foreground, as seen from Dunes Overlook Trail.

Pinyon Pine cones.