Grand Mesa, June 27, 2025

The motel we're staying at offers eggs prepared any way you like as well as multiple other choices. Nice surprise. It's not a fancy hotel, but a smaller motel. Very clean and comfortable. I must have done good hotel research because all so far have been superior quality.

We were told that the haze we kept seeing at Gunnison and also here at Grand Mesa was from California wildfires. It is very noticeable here. Grand Mesa is only 23 miles from Grand Mesa, reportedly the largest flat-topped mountain in the world, at 500 square miles, 40 miles long, 11,000 feet in elevation and 6,000 feet higher than the surrounding valleys. It contains over 300 lakes. Rounded river cobbles beneath Grand Mesa's cap confirms that it was originally a valley, like Black Canyon of the Gunnison rim. 

We started our time at Grand Mesa by stopping at the Visitor Center to get information on what to do and where to go. There, we met a ranger from, of all places, East Rochester, NY! He directed us to the road to access a particular trailhead, and also told us of a back road that would be worthwhile to drive because of the beautiful meadows there. 

The place where the attack happened

We found the trailhead he had recommended, and started up the very rocky, very steep trail that had not been maintained--we had to push through brush and trees. Finally, we reached a wider trail that passes by a lake. The trail was around 2 lakes-a loop. We started down the path and were inundated by a swarm, not just a few, but a swarm, or mosquitos. Ray's white shirt had lots of little black flecks all over it. The little buggers were swarming around my head, and all I could hear was that familiar whine in my ears. NO WAY. We agreed that 3 hours of bug swatting was not in our future, so we turned around and came back up the trail to our car. We figured that the lakes were probably a perfect breeding ground for the mosquitos, and hadn't encountered them before on our travels in the west.

At this point, we decided to try the back road suggested by the ranger. It was awesome with wildflower meadows on both sides of the road. The driving was slow, because the road was rough and rocky. But it was not so rocky as to prevent a tractor trailer from motoring up the road in the opposite direction. I think it had a long cattle trailer attached. We continued on to Land's End Observatory, an old ranger observatory on the edge of the Grand Mesa. There are excellent views of the surrounding area there. Rather than returning the way we came, we continue on the dirt road, which offered some hair-raising twists and turns as we descended the mesa, but was really quite entertaining! 

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/r6qUFTWSerb3Btu8A

Black Canyon North Rim, June 26, 2025

The North Rim of Black Canyon offers better views of the narrowest part of the canyon, and the access is down a gravel road. Because of this, it is relatively less visited and so, quieter. 

Here we took a trail that brought us to breathtaking views of the steep canyon walls. We saw one area of the rim that had rounded rocks, like you would see at a beach. We learned that the rocks are rounded as tetament to the fact that the river was once at the top of the canyon. These rocks were washed smooth by the Gunnison River itself about 2 million years ago. We were standing 1100 feet above the river. Very cool.

All along the edge of the canyon were Utah juniper trees. These trees can tolerate drought, intense heat or cold, and strong winds. If conditions become poor enough, the tree will isolate a limb, cutting off nutrients to it. That kills part of the tree allowing the rest of it to survive. By doing this, the tree is able to

redistribute nutrients to more critical parts of the tree, and lessen the overall demand to sustain life. That's amazing! We saw some really big and gnarled junipers here.

After the trail, we sat in the quiet shade of a pinyon pine and ate lunch. We then drove the north rim road and took the rim trails.

Dinner was at a local golf club in Cedaredge. We sat outside and ate in the company of about 24 raucous golfers ending their tournament day. It was fun listening to their banter as we watched the deer munch of the landscaping around the building. Wonderful end to the day!

Pictures here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/ginkgLi19BPX3NV86

Black Canyon South Rim, June 25, 2025

 As we set out for today's destination, a black bear popped out of the woods just ahead of us! When he saw us advancing, he popped back into the trees. The day was hot (90s) because we were not at higher elevation, only 5300 feet.

Today took us to the south rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, a favorite place for us. For me, it brings the memories of the first time we ever visited there 50 years ago when I was 24 (yikes!). We were tent camping there and it was the first time I ever saw the Milky Way. I was awestruck.

Soth rim of the canyon is chock full of gorgeous views of the canyon and river, a green ribbon surrounded by what looks like painted vertical walls.

We took just about all the trails available (mostly short), and then headed down to the East Portal at the river. You get a distinctly different view of the canyon from the bottom looking up. We love the peacefulness of the setting, because few people venture there.

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/qPc9Hxzjdih5iLFc8

Crested Butte, June 24, 2025

It was cloudy and cool when we set out this morning, with temps in the 50s. We had breakfast at the hotel and spoke with some bikers, including 2 really nice guys from the Asheville, NC area.

Man! it's dry, dry, dry here. My sinuses and skin are dealing with it.

The town of Crested Butte is very touristy, with tons of what I call "shoppees" (not shops, but shoppes.) We decided to hike a loop trail that is reputed to be loaded with wildflowers. It did not disappoint. OMG!!

Fields of purple and yellow, dotted with white, blue, and red, with the mountains as the backdrop made this hike take much longer than it might otherwise. We both had to stop frequently to take pictures, or just enjoy the spectacular views. A couple of hours into the hike, a thunderstorm rolled through. The rain only lasted for 15 minutes or so. But the flowers were amazing. At the end of the trail, we sat and had our apples and granola bars feasting on the views there.

After lunch, we stopped at the Visitor Center, where we learned that there was a cool back road, Route 12, that would take us up to Gothic and another beautiful wildflower area. This road was such a treat. Coupled with the fact that almost no one else was on it, the views were peaceful beauty. We also had been advised that we could return to Gunnison, where we were staying, via another dirt road cutoff from Route 12, Route 730. Unfortunately, we missed the turn off and kept driving. About 8 miles past the point where we should have turned, we had to stop. There was a large flock of sheep scattered all over: in the meadows on

Large rocks in the road ahead

our sides and on the road ahead. The bleating of the sheep was deafening! It was a very cool interlude in our day, though. We turned around at that point and ultimately did find our cutoff to return to Gunnison. That road was interesting as well--branches jutting into the road, basketball-size rocks in the road, ruts...

Photos of that day:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/46CMzjR1498qGA8T6

Family then mountains, June 23, 2025

 We spent the first few days of our Colorado trip visiting with Larry and Rose at their home in Centennial, just outside Denver. On 7/23, we headed out to Gunnison, where we would stay for a couple of nights. The drive there is always cool, going over Monarch Pass, 11,312 feet. We both had memories of going over the pass in the RV and towing the Elantra, a slow uphill grind. This time, in our rented car, we zipped past what looked like evidence of a large wildfire in the past. Dead trees were everywhere. Further inquiry showed that the dead trees were actually caused by spruce beetle infestation. 90% of the mature spruce trees in the area have been wiped out by these beetles. 90%!! The large number of dead trees creates a significant fuel load, increasing the risk of catastrophic wildfires, so a project is underway to remove the dead trees.

We stayed in Gunnison that night and had dinner in a restaurant there that was adorned with 20 to 30 large stuffed elk, deer, moose, and bison heads. We stopped at Walmart to pick up some snack stuff for the trip that would serve as lunch: apples, pretzels, granola bars, and also a $5 foam cooler to keep water and the apples cool. This was, by far, the smallest Walmart we have visited. The average size of a Walmart Supercenter is 182,000 square feet. This one was 43,000 square feet.

No photos today.

Going Home July 8, 2024

Reykjavik airport seems to be operating in the 20th century. We must have shown our passports and boarding tickets 5 or 6 times before boarding. Security is nil. There are few escalators, but lots of stairs. Bathrooms are not in the gate area, and there weren't that many anyway. At the gate, rather than announce boarding instructions, someone would hold up a card above their head  showing which group of people could board. After going through the gate, we took a bus to the plane, (they were jamming people onto the bus). Then we got off the bus, went into a building, up the stairs, and down a gangplank into the plane. Whew!!

Some general observations about Iceland:

• Sheep roam freely in Iceland, and you can find them anywhere on the roads. They're usually not seen in large flocks, but in ones and twos.
• Road signs are small, and hard to read, even without the language barrier. 
• Some road signs are icons, and can be cryptic; not easy to read when you're buzzing by at 55 mph
  
  
  
• There are waterfalls everywhere (or almost everywhere) you look
• There are expansive views everywhere due to the fact that there are very few trees
• Everyone we spoke with could speak English
• Farms (sheep, not agriculture) are widely, and I do mean WIDELY spaced
• Shower mechanisms vary from place to place, and sometimes are hard to figure out without freezing or scalding yourself
• In many guesthouses, you get one facecloth, and one bath towel. Amenities are few.
• Every place we stayed was clean, clean, clean.
• Small is a key word here: small coffee cups (maybe 6 oz), sinks, showers, rooms
• Breakfasts usually were cereal, bread, cold cuts and cheese, yogurt/skyr (Greek yogurt) and add ins like granola, breads (good bread), coffee, tea, juice
• We carried no cash at all. We used credit for everything, everywhere. Iceland seems to be a cashless society
• No tipping
• If you come in summer, you get to see lupines everywhere
  
  
  
  
  
• There was a cell signal (LTE usually, sometimes 5G) everywhere, even in remote places. We had roaming with Spectrum Mobile at a cost of $.04 per minute talk, $10.00 per GB data, free texts
• Food is expensive 
• Hot dogs and pizza are very popular here.
• There are no public trash cans anywhere. You're expected to take your trash home.
• Expect wind everywhere, and lots of it.
• Iceland is a unique place, unlike any place we have visited before.
• Favorite locations: Djupalonssandur, Latrabjarg Cliffs, Dyrholaey, Glaumbaer Farm, Skudur Garden--too many favorites

Djupalonssandir

A big surprise and Reykjavik, July 7, 2024

Our wonderful host for last night recommended that we visit a few a the local sights, especially 2 waterfalls nearby. To be honest, we were pretty "waterfalled" out. There are waterfalls everywhere in Iceland. As you drive down any of the roads, you could probably pick out 5 or 6 waterfalls along any road in Iceland. We had seen Dettifoss, Godafoss, Selfosss, Kirkjufellsfoss, Dynjandi, and more. But, no, our host protested, these, especially Hraunfossar, were really worth the short trip. A side note: as we chatted with the gentleman at the front desk, I watched as an older gentleman (probably a family member) hung guest sheets to dry on a line. This only endeared this place to us even more. 

The dining room/ former cow shed

So after breakfast in the dining room (former cow shed), we headed out. It turned out that the trip was really worth it. Hraunfossar is a waterfall formed not by a river plunging over a cliff, but by water from a nearby glacier that has small streams of water flowing at the edge of the Hallmundarhraun lava field. Hallmundarhraun formed after an eruption of one of the volcanoes lying under the nearby glacier of Langjokull, the second largest ice-cap in Iceland. When the water comes pouring out from under the lava, it creates a glacial blue river that is entrancing. So beautiful!

Barnafoss

We then continued on to Barnafoss, just a short walk up from Hraunfossar. Barnafoss had its own rough charm as the river rushed down through the rock formations.

Our next stop was Deildartunguhver, Europe's most powerful hot spring that gushes out 50 gallons of boiling water per second. You can see the steam from the spring from quite a distance. The water is piped to homes for heating and bathing. You can see the water bubbling up from the ground, but you can't get too close or you'll be scalded. Plus the steam smells sulphurous. 

We planned to end our day in Reykjavik, and so navigated there. Oh-my-god-what a jumbled mess Reykjavik streets are. We tried using Google maps to navigate, but streets jut out at angles, and there are not a lot of street signs to help you determine that you're going the right way. We really wanted to use a parking garage, and followed directions, but couldn't locate the entrance, even though we drove around the block and could see the garage itself. We finally gave up and parked at an outside lot.

Our walking tour took us first to Iceland's Parliament Square, the political center of Iceland. The square is lined with cafes, and today (Sunday) those cafes were packed with people, sunning themselves in the 50ish degree day with a moderate breeze. Some had jackets on, but we saw others wearing sleeveless tops and shorts! Because we both needed a restroom, we stopped and asked someone where we might find one. A gentleman kindly pointed us to a free toilet nearby. Ray went in first, and as he was inside, I was encouraged by the note on the outside that this toilet had automatic disinfecting mechanism between patrons. Great! Ray stepped out, and as the door shut, I could hear the disinfecting begin. Awesome! When, after a minute or two, I opened the door, I was greeted to what Ray had seen (or possibly not seen because he REALLY needed to go): an absolutely filthy (and I do mean FILTHY) toilet. So much for disinfection....I've used sketchy bathrooms in the past when I really needed to, but this was beyond  the pale. I let the door slam, and we started to search for another option. We found a clean indoor option in the Queer Art Market in the building across the way. 

We decided to head up to the grand Lutheran Baslica, Hallgrímskirkja, the largest church in Iceland and among the tallest structures in the country. It has a very distinctive design, and it took 41 years to built, completed in 1986. The pews can be converted to face the massive elevated pipe organ built into the wall above the entrance, or to face the front for services. Our walk to the church showed us some Reykjavik neighborhoods and houses. 

By the time we left the church, we needed to check into our hotel, and then drop the car off at the rental company.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/Rro3ra3ieEEjMRhj7