Day 11. Morning. June 10th. Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, CO
The drive from Durango to Montrose is one of the most scenic in the US. Sheer cliffs, snowcapped peaks, waterfalls, and brightly colored mineral-laden mountainsides abound. Red Mountain Pass, at 11008’ is the highest of many passes in that stretch of road. We had the GPS set to show us our altitude as we progressed, found it to be consistent with the map-posted altitudes.
Trish isn’t fond of hairpin turns on roads with no guardrails and 1000’ drops. She had a white-knuckle grip on the armrest some of the time but managed to pry her fingers away enough to take about 80 pictures. I was driving and was a bit nervous too, sometimes; being 3’ from eternity does inspire one to keep a firm grip on the steering wheel. The bottom 2 pix above were taken en route while we were moving so they aren't the best quality but you get the idea.
We’re at the South Rim Campground at 8320’; for comparison purposes, Mt St Helens is 8366'. BC is not the deepest major canyon in the US by any means, but it is the narrowest. When you’re at the rim looking down, you want to grab onto something that's well anchored and hold on tight cuz it’s breathtaking, disorienting and just plain scary.
In 48 miles the Gunnison River loses more elevation than the does the Mississippi in its entire 1500 mile length. The river is really moving along and carrying a lot of debris and that’s what carved the canyon – and the carving continues.
The top 5 pix above were taken near the South Rim visitor center, where they built an enclosed viewing area on a narrow rock finger, perhaps the best view in the park. It's impossible to capture the scope and grandeur with a camera but you do what you can. Today, we’ll be doing the South Rim Drive which has many viewpoints.
Wow. It's gorge-ous
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