Part 1–Colorado National Monument
Finally a Road Trip!!!
Wow, has it been a tough year or what!? I hope you and yours are well and getting back to life as you love it. Needless to say, my traveling came to a screeching halt, but time to be safe and hit the road again. So here we go exploring canyons and mesas in western Colorado. You are going to love this!
We have a five hour trip to Grand Junction to spend four days exploring Colorado National Monument and surrounds. Then heading over Grand Mesa–Part 2 for three days in Cimarron outside Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park which we’ll explore in Part 3. So exciting to be out and about again!
Leaving the Springs at 7:45am the weather was the pits. For the first three hours we drove through thick fog (clouds really we were so high), rain, snow, and luckily wet but not icy roads. Taking US-24 west then north, we traveled along the Sawatch Mountains (suh – wahch), home to the highest mountains in Colorado. Mt. Whitney in CA’s Sierra Nevadas, sitting at 14,498 ft, beat our Mt. Elbert by 58 feet as the highest mountain in the Lower 48. The Sawatch Range is home to 8 of the 20 highest peaks in CO including Mr. Elbert (14,440 ft), our highest peak, and 14 other peaks over 14,000 feet. Stunning view.
NOT!
We did have one break. Twin Lakes is about 6 miles off US-24 on CO-82. If we continue on 82, we cross Independence Pass reaching Aspen, but the road is still closed for winter weather. Sounds like a return trip in summer! Across Twin Lakes is Mt. Hope, pointed mountain at left, 13,933 ft, and the rolling top of Quail Mountain, right 13,461 ft. It looks like one mountain, but there are two. At least the precip stopped for a while, but getting back in the car it is snowing/ sleeting/raining again. Can’t make up its mind so does a little of all kinds of precip.
Finally, the sun is out and in two hours we’ll be in Grand Junction as we travel west on I-70. Heading down into Grand Valley it is delightful weather. Grand Valley is about 30 miles long, 5 miles wide and is a major fruit-growing region with many orchards and vineyards. One of their largest crops is peaches, and of course we visited a vineyard’s tasting room!
Grand Junction, the largest city in western Colorado, sits in the middle of Grand Valley with other smaller towns including Fruita and Palisade. Why “Grand Junction”? Grand was an early name for the Colorado River which heads to the Pacific along the south end of town. Junction because the city sits at the confluence of the Colorado River, and its largest tributary, the Gunnison River.
Colorado National Monument also sits south of town and we’ll visit it twice on this trip. First day driving west to east, second day driving east to west. So why drive it twice from different directions? Things always look different driving the other way as I learned in Yellowstone and beautiful places all through the Rockies. The Monument is a geologist’s dream come true, traveling in time from 1.9 billion to 104 million years through amazing rock structures. What we can see clearly from one direction may be out of view when traveling the other way, revealing different wonders. So let’s slow down, and look around . . . Welcome!
Surprise! Heading up the switchback road we see a small herd of Desert Bighorn Sheep (Ovis canadensis) ewes with their little ones, probably betweeen 4-8 weeks old, but here we see an obviously pregnant ewe at left. They blend with their surrounds so well if we had not seen them on the road at first, we may have missed them completely.
In Yellowstone and even in Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs we see Rocky Mountain Bighorns. The Desert Sheep are smaller, lighter in color with longer legs, and have adapted to hot, dry climates with the ability go days without water. Their diet of grasses, various flowers, and bushes supply a good portion of the water they need. All the little ones seem a bit intrigued with us humans, but not enough to get too close (ahh . . . the beauty of longer camera lenses).
Desert Bighorns have been in danger of extinction for many years. Today there are several hundred in Western CO thanks to efforts to preserve the wildlands they need to live. Bighorns are extremely vulnerable to diseases from domestic sheep, in some cases killing entire herds within weeks. They were nearly wiped out by early explorers and settlers killing them for various reasons including food, but still today we deal with trophy hunters. Management of the herds is vital to Bighorn survival, and such management is a major goal of Colorado National Monument. Ahhhh . . . Momma and me.
Although the females seem to ignore us, they may watch us more than we realize.
Up we go . . . Balanced Rock, a feature that’s hard to miss.
Hoping to see lots of cactcus flowers, but it seems to be a bit early. This cactus has many common names, but known here as Claret-cup Cactus (Echinocereus triglochidiatus), a species of hedgehog cactus. Flower is about 3″ across with lots of spines to stick us royally if not careful.
The Saddlehorn area surrounding this rock is where the Visitor Center, campground, and picnic area can be found as well as marvelous trails that take you to amazing views. Oh the clouds taking shape today!
Fish-hook Catcus (Sclerocactus parviflorus) with curved spine ends. I’d rather not try to un-entangle them from my skin.
Window Rock
Looking east into Monument Canyon from Canyon Rim Trail. The dominant trees in the Monument are the Pinion Pine and Utah Juniper, as were were trying to figure out exactly what a P/J woodlands meant. Sagebrush and a number of other shrubs that thrive in semi-arid environments are everywhere helping create habitat for many birds, large and small mammals, lizards, snakes (only one poisonous and rarely seen during the day), and even a few toads and frogs that can be heard after thunderstorms which happen often in the summer.
Closer look at unnamed formations in Monument Canyon.
Layer upon layer of different rock creating different structures on the opposite side of the road from the canyons. Even looks like someone built a wall lower left but all natural. Can you figure out the geological formations in the above and below pictures? No worries, you’ll get an “A” for effort regardless.😉
Independence Monument, a climbers paradise–apparently. Seriously NOT a hobby in this girl’s life!
Whoa, another surprise, right on the edge of the road across from a pullout. What luck, a Desert Bighorn ram.
Let me get out of the car, he isn’t that close. Uh-oh, why is he suddenly interested?
Yikes, he is getting too interested and too close. Back in the car! Why did he want to visit with me? Never safe to get too close! So he keeps walking down the road as we drive on. First time a Bighorn of any type was interested in getting so close. Always a puzzle what peaks their interest. I still subscribe to the fact that I don’t “smell” like a predator since I haven’t eaten red meat in years. Could that make them interested in trying to figure out a “different smelling” human?
Coke Ovens, the roundish formations, vividly show erosion patterns.
As the protective (whitish on top) Kayenta formation slowly erodes, it leaves the softer Wingate formation below to erode in unique ways. Early settlers thought the formations looked like man-made coke ovens which transformed coal into coke, a fuel with few impurities creating little pollution (gasses) when burned.
Magnificent Ute Canyon. At the arrow the canyon turns sharp left.
Different parts of Ute Canyon can be seen at a number of pullouts and short rim walks. First, closer look left.
At canyon’s end to the right we see Grand Junction, eastern end of Book Cliffs (light colored mountains to left), and Grand Mesa (tallest background formation area right). Grand Mesa is the largest flat-top mountain in the world, standing 11,000 feet.
Just around the corner on the left side of Ute Canyon is Fallen Rock. This massive chunk slowly broke away from the wall and literally sank into the ground beneath. The fall apparently took many centuries leaving it fully intact.
Ute Canyon trail is not maintained by the Park Service. Once in the canyon the trail may be hard to find, but Rangers promise an awesome experience. Only one problem, and you have a glimpse here at the trail’s beginning–we have to get DOWN there–steeply.
The trail drops over 600 feet in 1/2 a mile–that’s about 60 stories in a short distance. The Park Service does maintain the trail down including stairs carved in rock for safer decent. The best I could do is get a picture and highlight the trail for you (foreground then passing Fallen Rock). Trail is about 5 miles one way with a recommendation to have a second car waiting at the end. That’s a no-brainer–but I don’t have a second car with me.🥴 Never mind, let’s see what’s next.
Watch your step–Western Whiptail. This lizard blends so well, if he hadn’t moved I doubt I would have seen him.
Other side of the road from canyons. Here you can clearly see the white Kayenta formation on top, the red Wingate formation below.
Just loving the Claret-cup Cactus.
The views of the area surrounding the Monument are gorgeous. To the north of Grand Junction stand the Book Cliffs.
Mt. Garfield, Book Cliff’s highest point at right about 6,600 feet.
From the West Entrance road we see the landscape west/northwest. The town of Fruita only 30 miles from Utah along I-70.
Lovely Dune Desert Primrose (Oenothera deltoides).
Here we are at the eastern edge of Colorado National Monument. Pretty good road switchbacks back to town. From here we can see Mt. Garfield (left, north/northeast) and Grand Mesa (background right east). What a view!
Did I mention there are tunnels along both entrance roads? Always surprises along the way!
Until next time my friend . . .
