While relaxing during our late last morning, I was looking at the map trying to find a more scenic drive back to Denver that didn't have us backtracking the same roads. To my delight, I learned that Colorado had a fourth National Park I didn't know about and how it could be "on our way." At this point, I still did not know much about the National Parks other than I wanted to see them. The Park was the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and it was only a few hours out of the way. We made a plan to see it, packed up and were on our way.
The drive up to the Park concealed the grand nature of the canyon quite well; you have a hard time believing there is a 2,000 foot deep canyon in front of you until you nearly fall over the edge. It was incredible, roughly half a mile deep. We drove through a little more rushed than we would have preferred, but since we had the Park nearly to our selves, it was quite easy to see all the main vistas and even completed a short hike. I would love to go back and make the trek down to the bottom of the canyon and camp for a few days.
We continued to drive as many back roads as we could taking a few breaks here and there to stretch our legs, but eventually, we made ended up on the main highway home. There was one stop I wanted to prioritize to make a stop. There is a rest stop memorial overlooking a grand valley that has a viewpoint of a small washout below that has been filled with old debris or a what looks like a house collapsed. I never figured out what it was, but after hiking down to it, what it seemed to resemble most was a long-abandoned dumping site of some sort. Quite mysterious.
Photography Date: 5-15-17
Writing Date: 3-24-18
