Montrose, Colorado: About 100 years ago, we drove through this area in our POS Holiday Rambler. There was a forest fire stopping us from visiting Durango, and lightning, thunder, and torrential rains stopping us from visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We were going to give it another go this week.
DT had an adventure on his morning exercise route along part of the amazing bike path from Denver to Glenwood Springs.
There were at least five sheep in the group Dave witnessed.
We left Glenwood Springs this morning, traveling west on I-70, exiting at #44 to travel through Palisade - home of all the delicious peaches we have been enjoying the past few weeks. Little did we know, this town is also filled with vineyards!
But things change on the western slope of Colorado. We stopped for fuel and started noticing dudes with hand guns strapped to their thighs. Then we entered Lauren Boebert territory, and witnessed a Trump rally (our first ever). Boebert lives in Silt, is a member of congress, and did not graduate high school.
We arrived to our campsite in Montrose around 1p. Our entry steps did not extend. Shocking! We are camped at River Bend RV Resort. It is a very nice park, well-maintained, but still we are parked in gravel. $60, and they would only give us one night because they were fully booked… and I swear there are so many empty sites. We are finding this situation everywhere we go - since the Boulder County Fairgrounds. Why are we even making reservations??
Though this campground has a lot of rules - no camper admitted after 7p - they are ridiculously friendly and helpful with getting a massive RV parked, and then helping us plan our afternoon in the National Park, and even helped us plan our route south when we leave. So nice!
The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is just 30 minutes west of Montrose. The canyon has been carved by the (now named) Gunnison River over the past two million years. The deepest section of the canyon reaches 2722 feet from the rim. (Grand Canyon is 6000 feet.) Much of the 14-mile route through the canyon is covered with sharp (mostly) black cliffs, shooting straight up from the river.
The park is basically a drive-through destination, with many scenic vistas just a few steps from the parking area. Hiking happens, but with the sheer drop-offs, the skill level is way over our heads. Rock-climbing is also popular, but again, way above us. My Poor Driver was handling his new vertigo issue fairly well in this park. I think the scenery is so unbelievable and so dramatic, one must just forget the side of the cliff is taller than Taipei 101 ( which we visited a few years ago). The Eiffel Tower height is but a blip in this canyon.
We returned to our RV to find our steps OUT! Dinner had been prepped before we left Glenwood Springs this morning: smashed potatoes with garlic, duck fat, parsley, and Parmesan cheese. Small King salmon fillets were cooked and served with the (frozen) huckleberry sauce Ali made weeks ago for ice cream. (Appetizer was salad stuff.) A great meal, the Ducks beat Eastern Washington at home. It was another great day on the road.
Until my next update from our next adventure, I remain, your canyon correspondent.
I have really enjoyed reading about your travels through Colorado. We have visited many of these places, and it was fun to be reminded of how beautiful this part of our country is.
Warning, could sound political: I did click on Lauren Boebert’s highlighted name in your entry today and was shocked by what I read. I would be curious to know if people that voted to send her to Washington D. C. are aware of her background and “what she advocates for”.
Huckleberries on salmon?! How’d that turn out? Probably delicious 😋
Lauren Boebert sounds like a weird piece of work!
Are you heading south to Taylor’s Mesa?
Wow, I actually thought kudos to
Lauren Boebert. A high school dropout that started a successful business & then went on to being elected to the House. As far as the voters that elected her, I would guess that they are as aware as voters anywhere.