Colorado National Monument 10/20/2013

Our travels today would take us to the Colorado National Monument, part of the National Park Service near Grand Junction in west central Colorado. Spectacular canyons and rock formations are the feature attractions.

It was a gorgeous day today, with weather perfect for hiking--bright blue skies, temps in the 50s. The park has many trails, of which we hiked several from the canyon rim. On all of them, the views were amazing: huge rock columns (with names like Kissing Couple and Coke Ovens) and formations flanking valleys, with mountains in the distance fronted by the city of Grand Junction.

The best surprise of the day was the last hike we took. The trail is called Devils Kitchen, and is described as a room of rocks. The trail was easily walked, and the last part took us up a steep, rocky incline. As we reached the top, and followed the rock cairns around the bend, we felt as though we were crossing the threshold of a giant rock edifice. Huge boulders surrounded us, with a window formed of rocks at the far end. It's hard to describe the cool factor of the moment, but it really was awesome.

By 6:00 we were back at the trailer, relaxing with a glass of wine (me), and a beer (Ray). What a great day!