Colorado National Monument – See them while you can! and Nine Months on the Road

Our original plan was to do the north rim of the Black Canyon on Monday, 4/24. Since there is no direct access from one side to the other, it’s a 2-3 hour drive around and only gravel roads on the north side. We decided to rethink that plan when we realized that the canyon is so narrow we could literally see the cars and people on the opposite rim. Could the views really be that much different? Doubt it. So instead, we opted to go visit the Colorado National Monument. Good choice.

Ute Canyon.

Fallen Rock. (Yes, Captain Obvious. Lol.)

The Colorado National Monument is close to Grand Junction, so it was about the same drive time, but we got to see some totally different country.  The Colorado Monument was established in 1911 to protect 32 square miles of rugged plateau and canyon country. While this particular park is not on Trump’s hit list, don’t even get me started. I am equal parts appalled and furious that he would even consider reversing the national monument status of 24 parks. His short-sighted arrogance is a menace to the legacy we should be protecting. I want my kid’s kids to have the same opportunity we’ve had. What could possibly motivate the man to make such an unprecedented attack on the park system? Oh wait, let me guess. Money. Public land for sale to the highest bidder to be exploited and irreparably damaged so some rich SOB can get richer. This is supposed to be a travelogue not a political rant, but at this rate there won’t be anything left to see. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrgh. Rog took a picture of this statue of the Montrose Mouse, “The Last Act of Defiance,”  and I thought it was singularly appropriate. Although I do think it's customary for the middle digit to be extended, rather than curled into a fist. Lol.

The Last Act of Defiance.

Deep breath. Back to the awesome scenery of the Colorado National Monument. The 23-mile Rim Rock Drive offers many fantastic overlooks. The weather was chilly and very, very windy so we only did some of the short hikes around the overlooks. We found a fun little tunnel to explore and Rian did some more rock hunting.

Living on the edge.

It must run in the family. Lol. 

Cool! A tunnel to explore.

Looking up and looking out. :)

Check out the view from inside.

Spring wildflowers and yucca.

Twisted Juniper limbs offer an inviting seat.

There are some awesome sculpted rock formations – Coke Ovens, Window Rock and the Kissing Couple were favorites. John Otto, who was instrumental in getting these lands protected as a national monument, started a tradition in 1911 which continues to this day. Each year on the 4^th of July, climbers ascend the 450-foot Independence Monument and plant the American flag on top. 

Coke Ovens.

Window Rock.

Kissing Couple.

Looking for the perfect camera angle. Lol.
No flag on Independence Monument today, we're a few months early.

Independence Monument.

Balanced Rock.

Tuesday, it rained off and on all day. We were happy to spend the day just hanging out in the coach. Rog ran some errands, while Rian and I sorted through boxes (and boxes, and more boxes) of rocks and petrified wood. She picked out some smaller pieces to take back and laid claim to some larger ones that we’ll deliver when we get to Sacramento sometime in June. Rog also smoked a pork shoulder on the Traeger, low and slow (7 hours!), but worth the wait. Delicious. 

The week has flown by. Wednesday we move to Fruita, CO, which is just 10 miles west of Grand Junction. Rian’s flight leaves from there a little after 3pm.  It’s been fun (mostly) having the youngest daughter along for this part of the ride. Getting schooled in Scrabble – maybe not so much. Lol. We have a new reigning Scrabble Queen. She started the game off with a 7-letter bonus word and it went downhill from there. I demand a rematch! 😊 Randi just started a new job at Sawyer Lake Veterinary Hospital, but I’m hoping she can take a few days off and come visit while we’re in Sacramento. It’s been too long since the girls have had a chance to gang up on Mom and Dad together. Lol.

Nine Months on the Road! This month has been incredibly busy, hitting several parks, doing long hikes and having Rian visit. It's been a lot of fun, but it also tested our (ok, my) courage and limits – thinking now of those ladders and 30 miles of strenuous hiking in 3 days. Throw in some snow and several very energetic weather systems (read that crazy wind storms!) and it’s sometimes been a little more adventure than necessary. Lol. That said, I’m finding that the sense of accomplishment lingers far longer than the fear or sore feet. One of my few regrets on this trip was wimping out and not tackling the Beehive hike in Acadia National Park in Maine. I know there are more challenges ahead, Angels Landing Trail in Zion comes to mind, but I’m committed to at least trying. (Besides, it won’t have any ladders! Lol.)

It was wonderful to visit with Rian, but I also miss Randi and other family and friends. We are still thoroughly enjoying our travels and it has helped to share them with you through the blog and pictures. We still have three months to go but, if the first nine months are any indication, that time will go by very quickly. We did some jello planning today, mapping out a tentative route that will get us into California to visit family in June. Then we’ll be covering familiar territory as we wind our way home. Still not sure how I feel about that. Lol.

So here are the stats for our nine months on the road. We put in 1002 miles this month, for a total of 11,968 miles in the RV. We've pumped 1411 gallons of diesel and stayed at 77 different places. We have been busy hitting the parks this month and it would be hard to pick a favorite! We added three national parks (Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, and Black Canyon of the Gunnison) and two national monuments (Natural Bridges and Colorado National Monument).  So, our totals stand at: 25 National Parks/Monuments, many state/local parks plus Disney and Universal Studios. We have been jumping back and forth between Colorado and Utah, bringing the number of states we’ve visited up to 33.