I was tired from three hard days of driving and1865 miles. 700 miles yesterday. I went into Gunnison to get gas, groceries, ice and find a library so I could post. I stopped at a pullover to watch a man standing in the Gunnison River fishing. He had little luck, but I had fun watching white throated swifts flying like jet fighters to catch bugs for breakfast.
The grocery store was packed. It’s a big weekend and all the touristas are in town. Everyone had masks on, but I tried to get the job done and get out. The only library was at Western Colorado University, and it was closed. With my phone, I can post text, but uploading pictures eats data, and reception is often inadequate for the job.
I went back to camp for lunch and a little relaxation. At 3:00 I drove about an hour on Rt. 50 across a big mountain to get to Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park. The road up to the park and through the park is winding and steep. This is not a place to pull the trailer!
The beautiful Gunnison River flows through Gunnison, into Blue Mesa Reservoir and somehow gets to the other side of this big mountain. As it turns out, it goes through it! A sign tells us of millions of years in development through volcanoes and earthquakes, it used to be a great sea, but is now a river cutting its way through a mountain of solid rock.
I arrived at Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park stopping briefly at the closed visitor’s center, but rangers were outside answering questions. It is a drive along the gorge, also known as Gunnison Gorge National Park. Looking down into this chasm in the earth is impressive. Rain clouds just made it more dramatic. There was no charge to get in this year, and there was a steady flow of people. I didn’t make all the overlooks as I was running out of energy. I also wanted to see it from the north side. Maybe next time.
OK, The Loneliest Road isn’t so lonely here, and it travels through some spectacular country, especially here