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Home to the Great Sand Dunes National Park, the San Luis Valley is the largest alpine valley in the world. Surrounded by grand, snowy mountain peaks, the flats are home to ranchers, homesteaders, off-gridders, outdoor enthusiasts, and the occasional outlaw on the run; all of whom are braving the cold and the wind of this final frontier.
 Stepping foot into the valley, I found an isolated yet tightly knit and close community. As an outsider, I was only able to witness a fraction of this community. The valley is vast, empty and full at the same time. After my first few visits, I found myself photographing my personal experience of the valley as an outsider dropped in this new world. I found myself attracted to the surreal and the unique. This valley and its community are independent from the outside world. A societal ecosystem completely separate from the culture of Colorado. 
After many nights and trips to the flats, my mission was changing. If I can’t find a way to integrate myself into the culture as an outsider, I must document what the valley is teaching me and I must find a way to capture the many feelings evoked by the great openness. These photos contemplate the surreal, the vastness, the isolation of winter, and the uniqueness of the San Luis Valley.
What started off as a photo-documentary project on the small-town off-gridder life of the San Luis Valley turned into a project of introspection and contemplation. The openness of the skies and the long straight roads gave my mind space to explore. There is peace to be found in the so-called isolation of the valley. This area is full of life and community. Of the people that I spoke to, all of them had a deep love for the valley and made sure to express that to me. Whether they worked a small shop in Fort Garland, or ran a UFO watchtower placed on the convergence of multiple vortexes, or owned a horse ranch, everyone had a unique story to tell. All of which take place in this valley. The valley is forever breathing.