"Wow" was the give-and-take of the twenty-four hours yesterday. And I gauge the idiom "third time's a charm" fits hither every bit good since it was the 3rd fourth dimension we'd planned to see the park, but alone the kickoff successful attempt. It was thence vast as well as deep, it was hard to capture inward photographs, but I did my best. Really, you lot simply postulate to add together this identify to your bucket listing if you lot haven't visited already.
We kickoff stopped off at the visitor center. There were no shot glasses, but I picked upwards a fridge magnet. This isn't the 1 I chose, but I liked it anyway.
There were 3 hikes nosotros could cause got from the visitor center, as well as nosotros chose this 2-mile loop that descended 400 feet into the canyon. To instruct deeper, 1 needed a wilderness permit.
The trail started out slow enough. We were walking through stands of scrub oak.
As nosotros descended, it grew to a greater extent than rugged alongside rocks as well as roots create to trip us if nosotros didn't ticker where nosotros seat our feet. Also, the trail was quite narrow, alongside no handrails as well as a steep drop-off on 1 side.
In the epitome below, Mike was pointing to a cliff correct beside us.
It was a wall of rock, at 1 time up, as well as immense.
The views of the canyon from the trail were a lilliputian disappointing overall. If I were to create this again, I'd stick alongside the half-mile scenic loop that started at the visitor center. Nevertheless, nosotros enjoyed our hike, as well as for certain nosotros could purpose the exercise. Surprisingly, the 400-foot ascent dorsum out of the canyon wasn't likewise bad. We sat a duo of times as well as admired the view.
Near the terminate of the loop were the best views of the canyon, along alongside a sign well-nigh the geological forces that shaped it.
From there, nosotros could await down, down, downward into the real deep crevice cutting past times the Gunnison River below.
We crossed over 3 of these narrow board bridges on the ascent.
When nosotros reached the top, nosotros took the half-mile nature loop that started at the visitor center. The sentiment of the canyon were much improve from here.
And, honestly, every fourth dimension nosotros moved to a novel identify as well as looked again, the alone give-and-take nosotros could country was "Wow!"
From there, nosotros drove on the 7-mile South Rim Drive, stopping at some of the lookouts along the way. Our kickoff halt was Pulpit Rock. The stone parapet hither was crafted past times the Civilian Conservation Corps inward 1930.
From there, nosotros read this informational sign.
And thence peered into the canyon. Wow!
It was later 1:00 p.m. past times then, as well as thence nosotros decided to cause got lunch. We alone opened 2 of the 3 slides on the camper. While nosotros were eating, Smitty discovered he could boundary from the bed to the upper reaches of the shut slide.
From there, it was a representative of, how create I instruct downward again? Mike ended upwards helping him.
To the cats reading along, this is an first-class demonstration of the idiom, "curiosity killed the cat." Please don't assay this at home.
Our adjacent halt along the campaign was The Chasm overlook.
On the reverse wall, nosotros could come across examples of the pegmitite mentioned inward 1 of the signs pictured above. At this section, nosotros were every bit roughly the North Rim every bit nosotros would hold upwards on this trip, simply 330 feet across the canyon. No zip-line here...sorry.
From the parking lot, nosotros could walk a curt distance to the Painted Wall. Along the way, I snapped this epitome of the 1 blooming matter inward the common yesterday. No thoughts well-nigh what it mightiness be.
Painted Wall tin dismiss hold upwards seen inward the epitome below. It has some peachy examples of pegmitite, but also, it is the tallest cliff inward Colorado at 2,300 feet.
Here's some information well-nigh it.
Walking dorsum to the truck, nosotros had a brief central alongside this guy.
From there, nosotros drove to the terminate of the South Rim Drive, called High Point Overlook. From there, 1 tin dismiss come across where the Gunnison River flows out of the canyon as well as onto the Colorado plane below.
Walking to the other side as well as looking inward the other direction, 1 tin dismiss come across agricultural areas. In the middle of the image, but hard to see, is the community of Montrose, where nosotros are staying.
So the pictures don't genuinely tell the story, as well as I encourage you lot to come across it for yourself if you lot are able. It's worth at to the lowest degree a duo of days driving to come across it.
We ate our kickoff eatery dinner of the trip final night. Just a block from the KOA is a barbecue articulation called Jimmer's. You mightiness remember we've tasted barbecue inward North Carolina, South Carolina, as well as Texas. Now nosotros tin dismiss add together Colorado to the list. It was real tasty, as well as nosotros had fun at the restaurant. We ordered 1 of the feasts for two, which included a one-half rack of ribs, brisket, turkey, as well as pulled pork, along alongside corn muffins as well as 3 sides. For dessert, Mike ordered the Moose Poo,
which is genuinely Oreo Truffles.
Looks delicious, no? Bear Scat was also on the dessert menu.
Today we'll hold upwards leaving Montrose as well as moving on to Fruita, Colorado. Fruita simply happens to hold upwards the identify we'll remain later driving some other scenic byway, the Rim Rock Drive through Colorado National Monument. Its webpage describes the scenic byway every bit "one of the grandest scenic drives inward the American West." Sounds good, huh? It's considered inseparable from the monument. I kickoff read well-nigh it inward a photography magazine. The route is windy as well as narrow, as well as thence we've done some reading to brand sure it's prophylactic for truck campers towing trailers.