{"id":1938,"date":"2021-07-06T19:44:06","date_gmt":"2021-07-06T19:44:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2021\/?p=1938"},"modified":"2021-07-13T17:48:38","modified_gmt":"2021-07-13T17:48:38","slug":"lightning-storms-and-sand-dunes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/summer2021\/lightning-storms-and-sand-dunes\/","title":{"rendered":"Lightning Storms and Sand Dunes"},"content":{"rendered":"

It has been a long-standing goal of mine to camp out on North America’s tallest dunes. So, two weeks ago, I threw almost everything I would need into my 2006 Buick Lacrosse, and I headed out across the country to accomplish this.<\/span><\/p>\n

If I am honest, I have been pretty burned out lately. Months of COVID marketing will do that to a person, I guess. Dunes, to me, are sacred places. They fill my heart with whimsy and make me want to run and jump like I was 12 again. So I ventured out into the dunes to help restore something missing from my soul.<\/span><\/p>\n

I planned to camp out there for three nights or so. After hiking for about three miles, I pitched my tent and went for a walk. As I crested a tall dune a little ways from my tent, a cold front slammed into me. The wind picked up and was more violent than any wind I have ever experienced. The sand began to move like an ocean, and I sprinted back to my tent moments before pouring sheets of rain hurtled to the desert floor.<\/span><\/p>\n