The Black Canyon Of The Gunnison

My sister Susan and I decided to take a mini vacation and visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, our country's least visited national park. It is located near Montrose, Colorado, but we decided to save big bucks and stay at the Motel 6 in Grand Junction, an hour away. Grand Junction, surprisingly enough, has 20 wineries, and we were lucky enough to arrive in time to visit Two Rivers Winery, where Susan enjoyed a glass of chardonnay and I sat and wondered why they couldn't add a brewery to the operation to attract a larger market (by which I mean me). In any case, we drove from Two Rivers Winery to downtown Grand Junction, which we both thought had a 1950s ambiance.  All of the storefronts were occupied, all of them mom and pop operations, and the movie theater was showing The Devil Wears Prada, which evidently just made it to Grand Junction this year.  Plus, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass ( a family favorite back in the 1960s) will be appearing there at the end of this month.  Susan thinks this place is a modern day Brigadoon.

We had dinner at the Rockslide Brewery, which has great food, great beer, and low prices (who doesn't love a combination like that?). Susan, by the way,  was really enthused about Grand Junction, and tells me she would really like living there. Talking with the locals, it seems most of the population of California feels the same way.  The next morning we headed for the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and after a little over an hour, we entered the park and were awed by the views. I took the photograph on the right at the Pulpit Rock Overlook, and I am sad to say this photo does not come close to justifying the grandeur of the place.  Just before Black Canyon became a national park, a real estate developer purchased a significant portion of the area at the top of the canyon, and demanded a huge payment for the land, or else he would build a housing development.  Probably a Trump supporter.  I assume that the government paid the SOB off.

This canyon is 2,250 feet at it's deepest point, and if you put the Empire State Building at the bottom, it would only reach 3/4 of the way to the top.  I took the photograph on the left at the Sunset View Overlook, the deepest part of the canyon. Susan noticed that a number of people were wearing hiking boots, and asked if they were planning to hike to the bottom, which they were.  Of course, they were all much younger than us, but as for me, I would be more than willing to hike down to the Gunnison River at the bottom.  Of course, I would draw the line at carrying Susan back up to the top, family or no family.  I would certainly call for help if I had cell phone service, which as far as could tell, I did not, so it was best to skip that part of the trip.  Probably a wise choice.