I'm Dan and I WILL Travel
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park! Even for me, this was a last-minute addition on my way north from Colorado to Montana. Like Canyonlands, you drive up out of the valley and into a pleasant rolling countryside of grasses and small trees. And, then, again, WOW. Only maybe even more of a wow. It literally drops 2,000’ straight down, getting as narrow as 40’. No wide Grand Canyon like setting. This is a chasm with a rushing river 2,000’ feet below you. Often, you can only hear it, not see it due to the steepness of the cliffs. This river is still totally at work. It drops 95’ every mile so the carving further downward continues daily. On your next trip to Colorado, be sure to include this park. And, it will be even deeper!
And, with this post, I am at the end of this trip, writing wise. I hope that you have enjoyed it and are encouraged to get out a bit if you can.
This famous narrow gauge train trip was reduced to a short duration version due to the virus, but they made sure that it included the most scenic portion through the Animus river canyon. This 138 year old train track remains the only access to this amazing canyon. The company did a great job making it virus safe by limiting open cars that seated 60 to only 20 and all of us we masked the entire time. And no one complained or tried to unmask.
While still in Utah, but close to the border, I started getting the daily “Amber alert” texts to all cell phones in the area that all of Colorado required face masks in any indoor public place. This is something I had not experienced before. Upon entering each town in Colorado, they had electronic signboards set up along the highway and ALL were about the face mask requirement. As a merchant, I so appreciated that this state really forced the issue and took it out of the control of each merchant. And, you know, compliance was essentially 100%. Without complaining or confrontations. Unlike so many places including my own state.
If you are about my age, you may remember the Burma Shave signs that would be along the road so that you could read each one sequentially to get the total story they were telling. Telluride Colorado sort of did that to address the Covid 19 situation.
The last two are from Durango.