Guadalupe - Salt Basin Dunes

Because it had rained the day before, the rangers discouraged us from taking the 10-mile dirt road out to Salt Basin Dunes for the short hike there, because it's easy for cars to get stuck in the slick mud. However, we knew the wind had dried out the campground very quickly and figured the rangers were being extra cautious. We did wait until after lunch but then decided to drive the 40 miles and see the conditions for ourselves. On the way we passed the roadside pull-out with a view of El Capitan.

The dirt road leading from the town of Dell looked mostly dry and had fresh tire tracks so off we went. It was quite "washboard-y" (reminding me of our experiences in Capitol Reef) so produced a bit of anxiety for me, but Wayne had a grand time navigating the bumps and ruts. And we arrived to the parking lot safely. The dunes themselves were a bit underwhelming, but the view of the mountain range was incredible. We enjoyed our Sunday afternoon walk appreciating God's creations, and then made it safely back down the rutted road in time to catch a gorgeous sunset back at camp.