Christmas Valley, OR Sand Dunes
Yesterday my beloved and I went on a jaunt to Christmas Valley, OR. It's in the middle of the Oregon desert. About 20 miles east of 'city center' of Christmas Valley, are some magnificent sand dunes. Overall, there are around 11,000 acres of these dunes, with just over 8,000 of them open to ATV exploration. These sand dunes were created about 5600BC, and were the effects of Mt. Mazama blowing her top. Mt. Mazama is also the volcano that created Crater Lake, OR. Here are a few of the photos I captured with my iPhone.
I'll start the pictorial with our little ATV. On the dunes it's an animal! And soooo much fun!!!!
The wind creates these waves in the sand. It's neat to look at, but doesn't lend itself to a smooth ride. LOL
Rolling sand dunes for as far as the eye can see.
This is my favorite picture of the day. The sun rays reaching for the sand, and the color of the sand remind me of those beautiful desert pictures that would be featured in National Geographic.