A chasmic day off

Taking a Friday off to explore our new stomping grounds is always a good idea. Even better when the weather is fine.

Paonia was a few miles off the map-app-recommended route to the Black Canyon, but what the heck. We had a nice early lunch and came back later to taste some wines.

We had talked about checking out the north rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park since visiting the south rim last year. You can see across the canyon, of course, but there’s nothing quite like being on the other side.

The trail we’d planned to hike to Exclamation Point was muddy enough from recent snowmelt that we decided to check out the Chasm View loop instead. The punctuation will surely still be there next time, and the loop was nearby and mostly dry.

As we’ve now seen first-hand, the view is awe-inspiring from both sides as you peer over the edge to see the river 2,000 and some feet below.

There is much more to explore and learn about out here away from the madding crowd.

B.J.

Quail on the trail

They crossed the trail
in such a rush
the picture left
was just the brush.

Mesa County morning

If you had been out for a walk this morning before breakfast with me and Red Dog, we would have shown you this spot. It’s hard to capture with a smartphone, or with any other sort of camera for that matter, at least for this amateur photographer.

Marsh in the foreground with cliffs and bluffs in the distance, looking south from the Colorado Riverfront trail. The river is beyond the marsh, at the foot of the cliffs. — Mesa County morning

The cliffs above the Colorado River were mostly gray for the first few images I grabbed. I sorted through them for a few minutes as I sat on a bench and Red waited patiently. When I looked up, the sun had broken through some clouds to our left. I shot a few more.

We walked home, thinking about the people we will take to this place on the Colorado Riverfront Trail in just a few weeks. I’m not sure Red understands, but he seems happy enough with the idea. He wagged that tail he is so proud to show off.