Day 3
It’s a short drive from Montrose back along Route 50 to the Black Canyon of Gunnison River.
I had done a little research and thought I knew what to expect, but what we saw there was jaw dropping.
The pic below is the initial view of the canyon from the first car park.
It was a preview of what we were going to experience over the next three hours.
We walked the 1.5km path along the edge of the canyon to the Visitors Centre and back.
Then we drove to the various outlooks.
We came across a few deer on the road but they were quick to make their escape.
The Black Canyon is so named because its steepness makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate into its depths, some parts getting only 30 minutes a day. As a result, the canyon is often shrouded in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black. At its narrowest point the canyon is only 12 m wide at the river.
At the section where the canyon’s walls are the steepest, it is 16km long with depths ranging from 525 to 740m.
Then back to Montrose for a late lunch at Colorado Boy for good panini, salad and craft beer.
Then it was a drive to Grand Junction. Here is where the Gunnison and Colorado rivers meet.
We made a small detour to the Two Rivers Winery where we tasted a selection of their products. A couple were quite acceptable.
Dinner that night was fancy tacos and craft beer at Tacoparty downtown.
Day 4
What to do today?
We only had a 1.5 hour drive to our next destination, Glenwood Springs.
A 2 hour drive to the west in Utah was The Arches National Park.
But we had done a lot of driving so far and an extra 4 hours added on today didn’t appeal.
A quick look at the Grand Junction tourist brochures indicated the Colorado National Monument just out of town maybe worth a visit.
Reviews were mixed however.
It was only a 45 minute circuit so we took the ‘plunge”.
Three hours later we emerged from the park a little gobsmacked.
It was one of the most wonderful places we had seen.
And wild life too, a photogenic mountain sheep who was happy to pose but a shy coyote didn’t wait to be photographed.
Then it was a drive through an ever changing landscape following the Colorado River to Glenwood Springs for a relaxing couple of hours of soaking at the Iron Mountain Hot Springs.
Then probably the best meal of the trip at the CO Ranch House.
Grilled mountain trout and asparagus washed down with a bottle of Sancerre.
Day 5
Our last full day was a drive, three hours, to our Denver airport hotel.
The I70 from Glenwood Springs traverses a number of canyons, high mountain passes and tunnels and is very busy with cars travelling seemingly bumper to bumper at high speed and trucks struggling up steep inclines.
We passed through the ski resorts of Vail, Copper Mountain and Beaver Creek.
The Eisenhower Tunnel, with a maximum elevation of 3401m and a length of 2.7km is a very impressive engineering accomplishment.
For the uninitiated, this drive was a bit stressful but we made it unscathed, physically. Mentally may have been a different matter.
To ease ‘the pain’ we stopped for a very good BBQ lunch at Smokin’ Yards in Idaho Springs and had enough leftovers for dinner in our DEN hotel after their well attended happy hour.
It was a deserved good night’s sleep at one of the Airport Hiltons.
Day 6
Up reasonably early for a typical hotel breakfast, a short drive to return the rental, shuttle to Denver airport, check in, a relatively long wait to get through security.
I’ve been to Denver airport a lot of times over the last 25 years but always stayed airside, never been landside.
Actually leaving the airport was a first.
It’s a huge operation with the main Jeppesen Terminal connected to three concourses by trains. Total number of gates is around 160 which service 25 airlines.
I am more used to Terminal B from which United Airlines arrive and depart. But they have expanded into Terminal A as well so you have to be on the ball looking at the departure boards when catching or connecting flights.
So from there the daughter flew back to NYC, me back to Sioux Falls.
A great trip all round.
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