Sometimes words just get in the way of the natur Sometimes you just have to let n do the talking.

If there was ever a place on ear where that was more true, it would have to be right here beneath the peaks of the Sange de Cristo Mountains.

Today we are in the San Luis Valley on Colorado, Unchart I got a bluebird sky.

I got a mountainside.

My eyes are opened wide.

On Colorado Time.

Living high.

On Colorado time.

It's good to be home in the vall And breathe that fresh air.

When the sun is shining, which is most days here, you can see nearly 100 miles from one end of the valley to th The San Luis Valley covers nearl 8000mi across five counties in southern Colora This high altitude desert is surrounded by three mountain and cut in half by the Rio Grand Blanca Peak marks the eastern edge of t and was once thought to be a sac used by the Navajo and the Ute p But many other indigenous tribes have called this valley home.

Th the Comanches, the Kiowas, the A the Cheyenne, and many different The Spanish settled here in the 16th century.

Today, the San Luis Valley is kn for its agriculture, its folklore and history, and its outdoor appeal... which is why I'm here.

It's a cool, crisp morning here at the Great Sand D National Park and Preserve, trul one of Colorado's most unique wo It's nice right now, but it'll be 100 degrees out there on the sand later on.

The dunes are tucked up against the Sangre de Cristo Mou on the eastern side of the valle And before the sun heats up the I'm going to meet up with my goo mountaineer, filmmaker, award-winning outdoor athlete and farmer, Danny Reyes- for one of the favorite pastimes in the valley, sandboarding on the dunes.

So good to see you guys.

So good to see you, Dani.

It's been so long since we caugh I know.

Thanks, CJ.

Oh, my gosh, a little bit of tea.

I was trying to remember, you ha some valley connections too, rig Yeah.

My father's family started the post office in Ortiz But even before that, they were before the United States was a c Yeah.

What about you?

How long have you been here?

Well, so, you know, I really gre in the valley about ten miles du north of the Sand Dunes here in outside of Crestone, Colorado.

Yeah.

And and it's really, I think, you know, even in coming back here... wow!

Perfect.

Look at that.

Can I ask for a little side of g sauce, please?

Yeah.

I think just trying to understan what makes the place home.

Yeah.

What makes the place special?

And trying to really lean into t that layer of just understanding Because I think so often when we're visiting a place, we see just the surface level, what we're trying to get out of So in doing some of the research to try and understand some of my family's connection to this place, I started going d the rabbit hole of just history in this valley, rig The world's highest alpine valle Looking at like the passage of o that have been here over time from different indigen groups, the settlers, the colonizers, whatever word ge (laughs) well decide, to modern day folks living here Right.

And this is one of the communiti this is one of the places that holds the longest running human habitation... Yeah.

...in the modern day United Stat The mix of athlete, storyteller, you're one of the more interesti people and mixes of our maybe, you know, intersectionality of...

Right.

...all those things that I have come across which, y I think I was immediately drawn Yeah.

But talk about that and maybe ta a little bit about some of the w you've done in this valley or wa as you find your own heritage he You know, I used to live life just in one Yeah.

And then I discovered there were many different lanes, sometimes it's fun to change lanes, in my work as a filmmaker and as a storytel farmer, as a person that deeply cares about rural resilience and what it means to build commu that shows up for each other.

And about equity, whether that's in the outdoors or for how our different communi across Colorado, across the Unit develop and like, and what we're showing up for, what we stand fo So we're here at this legacy res the Oasis Cafe, just outside of.

Yeah, this institution just outside of the sand dunes which are beckoning outside that Yeah.

Do we get to get into them What are we going to do?

Yeah, we've got a full day plann We are going to get, deep into the dunes.

We're going to do a little sandb which I'm so excited about.

Have you done this?

I have, but last time I sand boarded, though, I was in the Sa and I broke my tailbone.

So this is my triumphant return to the sport.

Yes.

No breaking your tailbone today.

No breaking bones.

Were going to be real careful.

Hopefully, we'll get a hike in.

There's incredible alpine terrai kind of all surrounding, the east side.

Yep.

Yep.

We want to show people that side of things, too.

So we have a really, full day, a different things we're going to Just excited to, to do this with you, Dani.

All right, one more bite, and then let's get out of here.

All right.

Sounds good.

So good.

All the sauces, please.

So glad to be here.

And I can't wait.

I think I'm a little bit nervous because the face looks pretty st But I'm psyched if this is anything like snowboa Dude, check this out.

One more thing to be aware of.

Oh, out in the wild.

These are some fresh cat tracks.

Yeah, mountain lion.

Yeah, meow!

I mean, that's...

I mean, those must have been from last n Probably.

Yeah, probably in the last twenty-four hours or so.

It's one more thing to be aware Yeah.

No kidding.

Always good to be aware of the w back here.

Oh, man.

Yeah.

Do we take our shoes off here?

Yeah.

Let's kick our shoes off.

I think we can go pretty fast on Wonderful.

It's looking good.

Looking steep We realize that, we have... we have a lot of optimism bias because we know we are strong at We are prepared.

Do you feel good about going fir or do you want me to go first?

Either way, I'm good.

Do you have a preference?

I kind of prefer for you to go f but that is also deeply rooted, and I want to see how it goes.

Yeah.

Yeah.

I'll go first.

Okay.

Thank you for being such a gentl (upbeat music) Yeah!

This is fun.

La la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la la.

Woo!

Yeah.

Oh, yeah.

We didn't break ourselves.

Yay!

No serious injuries.

Im so glad we didnt break ours What a fun run.

Lots of rolling and sand everywh Yeah, lots of sliding.

I'm so psyched that we got up hi and we're able to get a little b of an idea of just how much this park holds.

Yeah, it's pretty incredible, ri Well, let's, maybe head to the v center and learn a little bit mo Yeah, absolutely.

There's some weather rolling in, so it's about time.

All right, let's hit it.

I love how many things there are to do that are outdoors, but I like that it's so big.

And you can just run around and do whatever you want and jus with the sand.

Wow, this weather really rolled It's pretty wild how just out of nowhere the mountain weather just came i and here we are getting drenched Yeah, luckily, I've stashed, some rain gear her Amazing.

Thank you.

Poncho.

I mean, that leads to the bigger of where do these sand dunes com Not just the weather.

They're huge.

Yeah, these are pretty incredible.

Luckily, we have National Park S Geologist Andrew Valdez here to answer that question.

Hey, Andrew.

Hey, thanks for making some time to come chat with us.

Youre welcome.

So can you answer that question?

I can, it's an excellent questio here in the San Luis Valley, the why we have great sand dunes is the Earth's crust is splitting a That's a process called rifting.

And, yeah, that's very important because that's what creates the source of sand.

How did all that sediment from all around the valley end u And some of the tallest dunes in America?

The streams that flow into this part of the valley from the moun flow into this depression.

And periodically they form lakes And when the lakes dry up, their beach deposits, the sand gets blown towards the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

So the, the dunes, form in this part of the San Luis Valley because it's downwind from those I've noticed that there's so much more beyond the dunes, but I haven't exactly been able to figure out how to get in ther I know there's a creek that is s but there's also these huge moun Yeah, they rise abruptly from the vall so they're very steep and impres looking mountains.

And a good way to access them in the park is through Mosca Pass.

There's a three mile trail that to the summit of the mountains.

And, you move from the desert en on the valley floor up into a montane and alpine env and even tundra.

If you decide to hike far enough you can also see similar environ just a little to the south at Zapata Falls where you can drive up to the mountain front.

Yeah, that is a beautiful part.

And it is amazing, that you can have so many ecosys in, you know, one know relatively small, region here.

I think that's one reason that makes this, national park and preserve so unique and inter Yeah.

Andrew, thank you so much for sharing your knowledge.

You're welcome.

It's really been a pleasure.

Yeah.

See you out there.

See you Thank you.

Thank you!

With the sand dunes checked off our bucket list and the weather up, we decided to explore more o and the surrounding valley.

And just like Ranger Andrew Vald said, the changes in the landsca were dramatic.

And just a few hundred feet from the parking area, we went from a high desert to an alpine mountainside.

The Moscow Pass Trail.

It was the same kind of alpine beauty at the Zapata Falls Trail.

Both trails were short but steep and rewarding climbs.

From there, we decided to go exp We hopped in the truck and heade towards the vastness of the dese We just picked a point of intere and started driving.

No trip to the San Luis Valley would be complete without a stop at the Colorado G a certified wildlife habitat.

The UFO Watchtower sits out in the middle of the desert floo with nothing but open skies for who look upward for other signs We didn't find any UFOs, but we did find a Sasquatch with an unusual amount of Mardi Gras beads.

We made a quick stop at the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, a 93,000 acre natural corridor set aside to protect wildlife ha in the northern San Luis Valley.

Then it was off to my hometown of Crestone.

The town of Crestone itself I think about, you know, 90 peop Less than a hundred.

It's a very small, you know, it a mining town.

The main thing is, you know, my I'm very proud of it.

But it's a really unique place.

It's like very new-agey.

You know, it attracts, you know, spiritual seekers from all around the world.

There are 14 different, world re centers scattered across these h Really?

So lots of Buddhists.

There's a Hindu temple.

There's, there's a Carmelite mon there's a Baptist church, an Episcipalian church.

And they're all, you know, they in harmony, which is pretty incr You know, it's it's got a lot of character Yeah.

Yeah.

So this is, one of many different, stupas.

We have stupa.

And these are Tibetan Buddhist s and one of many that we have, he in the Crestone area.

Amazing.

This is the enlightenment stupa.

And it's really a physical repre of the different, you know, paths of the Buddha, different Sanghas Buddhist communities have, but it's also a beautiful view of the 8000 squ that make up the San Luis Valley And beautiful views of the San J especially at sunset.

And I've got another super speci to me, on the other side of the valley.

Penitente Canyon, some of the most incredible rock with a deep cultural history, to Wow!

Okay, well, if you have a surpri for me, I have a surprise for yo Surprise?

Yeah.

Yeah, I think you're about to fi Lets go!

Okay.

I'm intrigued.

Intrigued?

Let's do it.

Hahahahaha!

Oh, Luis Benitez!

What a surprise!

Surprise!

Good to see ya!

I couldn't it hold any more... s Good to see you.

How are you?

How are you?

How was your day?

Good to see you.

Yeah, good to see you too.

We had such a great day in the valley.

Just toolin around.

It's been wonderful.

I can't wait to hear all about i Oh, you went without me.

That's okay.

Spiritual experiences... To top off the day, how about we go rock climbing in Penitente Vamos!

We're here.

Let's go!

Oh, man.

Let's do it.

Come on, w This is my old pal Luis Benitez, a legendary mountaineer, educato and outdoorsman.

Luis has summited Mount Everest six times.

He was an Outward Bound instruct for several years, some of those years here in the And he was also Colorado's first Recreation Industry Office Direc Today, Luis is taking Dani and I back to one of the places that's really special to me, Pen Canyon on the west side of the V This is the place where I grew u learning to climb as a kid.

The rock here is volcanic, and so it's different from many other spots in the Val Great for climbing, great for hi This is volcanic.

So this is you know, you're talk 20 million, 30 million years ago And this is really what formed the canyon to begin with.

But, you know, the history of th and what it dates back to is really based on a Spanish her Let's lock it.

Yeah.

Locked.

Locked.

Tied?

Climbing.

Climb on.

Dani, you know, Luis's nickname is the Honey Bad (percussive music) Nice Luis.

Keep it G-rated.

All right.

Celebration, I am here, all right.

Who wants to go next?

I want to give try.

All right?

Climbing.

Climb on.

(percussive music) Come on.

(percussive music) I mean, you could try to make it look a little harder.

I think he's here for the fitnes I miss rock climbing.

Back to it soon.

Nice job!

Yeah, t hat's a hell of a view.

I want to take a second before we come down?

This is time for your summit sel Just taking it all in.

I'm locked and loaded.

Positive attitude.

Got it.

Are you ready?

Let's hang out.

(percussive music) I fits.

If I fits, I sits!

Ding!

Okay.

Yay!

Oh.

There you go.

Yay!

Good.

I'm so glad you let me come down and play with you, too.

It was so good.

Yeah, to wrap it today.

What a beautiful day.

We got to do so many amazing thi Packed a lot in.

I kind of can't believe how long it was.

Let's kick back a little bit.

I know a great place in the vall to to just sit back and take in You guys down?

Absolutely.

Yeah.

All right.

Well, if it's uniquely Colorado, Let's do it.

I'll take it.

Let's go.

Well, I don't know if your camer can look past me, but look at those mountains.

They're glorious and the people here, they're goo There's not a single stoplight and Saguache County.

No traffic.

What a beautiful valley.

I mean, it's just lush and green A lot of irrigation going on and all the crops and everything I've learned a lot just being do There are so many outdoor opportunities here and beautiful It's just overwhelming.

Lack of hustle and bustle.

You know, just, calm, quiet and life.

Just totally enjoy it.

Very free spirited life.

Welcome to the Frontier Drive Inn.

This is amazing.

What is this place?

I've never seen anything like th It's uniquely, San Luis Valley, I'll tell you that.

But I see, my friend Luke Falcone over there, who's r the visionary behind this place.

I'll let him tell you.

Welcome.

Thanks for coming.

Thank you.

Pleasure.

What's this place all about?

Frontier is glamping in a movie.

We've got yurts.

We've got hotel suites.

We've got the old snack bar brought back to life.

And, it's a San Luis Valley clas A drive in movie theater in the mountains.

Are we watching a movie tonight?

We are.

I'd love to tell you about it, but I'd rather have Dan, our fil tell you all about it.

Hey, Dan.

Hey, there.

How are yo How's it going?

Thanks for coming to my movie.

Good to be here.

What are we watching?

We're going to watch Big Fur.

All right?

It's a documentary about taxider and Bigfoot and Roy Orbison and unrequited l And the value of wilderness.

Wow.

It's got it all sounds like.

Oh, yeah.

Let's let's get it going.

All right, Roll it!

When hes talking about sasquatc youll learn from him.

He doesnt make things up.

He doesnt do this to be enterta He is totally obsessed with the And he knows his stuff.

Ive moved beyond the controvers I am convinced.

And I am going to go one step fu And build a model.

That was awesome.

That was so unexpected.

What a fantastic way to end the I thought we were just going rock climbing.

Yeah, so much more epic.

Yeah.

Meaningful, thoughtful.

A lot of different things weaved in to that story.

Which.

Which is like the valley.

You know it is.

And it contains multitudes.

I don't think it's ever been bet You know, and we haven't even, you know, taken in the night sky The Great Sand Dunes National Park was just designate an international dark sky reserv And really, anywhere you are in the valley, I think it's some of the best st you can see anywhere.

It's it's incredible.

It definitely shows.

Turn thine eye skyward.

But our ears to the ground.

I hear it sometimes.

You hear?

Y What is that?

Right.

You hear th That music?

Yeah.

Do you want to check it ou Let's explore.

We got it.

The adventure continu (classical guitar music) Aren't you, Andy Hackworth?

I am!

I am, Great to see you.

Could you care if we, take a seat here and list Please, join me.

Thank you so much.

Do you want a tune?

Yeah.

Please.

Play us out.

Amazing.

This is great.

Perfect way to en (classical guitar music)