Knowing we are going to be busy this summer, we decided to make as many trips as we can before summer comes. Memorial day weekend, of course, is a good time to travel, and to memorialize somebody: your teacher, your family, or all the innocent people who suffer from war, famine and diseases. Pick one (or more) and keep an awareness of it in your conscience.
During the trip we made in Canyonland national park, I was going over all the national park maps and surprisingly found that there is one national park in Colorado we've never been - Black canyon of the gunnison. It is just a bit south of Grand junction!
There is another national park in Colorado, that we wanted to go but never went. That is Merse Verde national park, which locates at the southwestern colorado. With a geographer aside, it is fairly easy to plan a trip: Go west to Grand juction, then south to Black canyon, keep going south to Merse Verde, then east to Great sandune, which we haven't been after it was promoted as National Park and Preserve, then all the way north back to Denver. Oops, 3 days, 3 national parks!
After a nice camp east of Grand junction, we started to head south through CO65 skyway. In spite of expectations and wonders about how Black canyon looks like, we soon were distracted and impressed by the beautiful landscape through 65 skyway. With white trunks and green leaves of aspen trees, snow mountains and clear lakes, sunny valley embedded in colorful plant carpets, we were so surprised and regret that we have camped at the north of 65 skyway so many times, but never bothered driving south until today!
CO 65 skyway, south of Grand Junction
The most striking feature of Black canyon is the steepness - after we got out of visiting center and turn onto a path towards a outlook site, we were already at the top of a cliff, the river is running right under our feet – but one mile straight down. We took a drive down to the canyon river and took a walk at that peaceful place. After climbing up the canyon, we drove the other side of canyon and took a hike at the end of the cliff. Although we prepared 7 gallons of water, we could barely stand the hot weather, which became more unbearable with the look of snow mountain.
Outlooking spot at the end of black canyon
The most striking feature of Black canyon is the steepness - after we got out of visiting center and turn onto a path towards a outlook site, we were already at the top of a cliff, the river is running right under our feet – but one mile straight down. We took a drive down to the canyon river and took a walk at that peaceful place. After climbing up the canyon, we drove the other side of canyon and took a hike at the end of the cliff. Although we prepared 7 gallons of water, we could barely stand the hot weather, which became more unbearable with the look of snow mountain.
Outlooking spot at the end of black canyon
The road from Black canyon to Merse Verde is winding through high snow mountains. After going over all these dramatic landscapes on CO65 and Black canyon, we already appreciated so much and didn't anticipate anything more. Waking up from a quick nap while Geo is driving, I, again, was impressed how pretty it is along snow mountains. Unknown yellow flowers built up a thin layer of yellow carpet on the top of green grass, with white snow on red mountain. Colorado, you are Colorful!
CO 145 highway from Black canyon to Merse Verde
It was crowded, as expected, with full booked hotels, and unexpected, with our experience of nowhere is crowded in U.S. national sites based on our previous experiences. At the visitor center, a surprisingly international crowd is waiting in line to buy extra tickets (besides ticket to enter) for few famous Native Indian dwelling place. It was cold and windy, even with a jacket on, I was still shivering and shrinking together with most of other people in line. Without extra notice, a tall guy attracts my notice. With only a T-shirt on he stands straight up, with a complexed look upon rest of us, obviously saying "you wimps, the coldness is nothing! Look at me! I am so tough!"
It has been 100 years since Merse Verde has been a national park. To celebrate this event, Merse Verde invited Laura Bush to give a speech. She did, a month ago, not forgeting to mention how current administration cares about the environment.
HOW DARE SHE?
The park is big. It suffered from several major fires last and this century, which left unforgettable scars everywhere.
The marks of fire at Merse Verde
We bought tickets for Balcony house and Cliff Palace and took a drive all the way to Balcony house. With a professional guide, about 50 tourists including us started a journey with a 32-feet wood ladder (slippery!), a 12-feet long tunnel (narrow!) and additional 60-feet ladder and stone steps (STEEP!).
Steep ladder at Balcony house, with the guide looking down from the top
Leaving Merse Verde, we started to drive east, passing Durango, to Alamosa, from where the Great sandunes Nation Park and Preserve is located 20 miles away. We had been to this place 2 years ago in Autumn, when it was a National Monument. It was late when we were at Alamosa and we didn't book any hotel rooms. We decided to take a risk and drive directly to the park to camp there - there are only around 50 camp sites in the park and it was Memorial weekend.
I can't tell now how happy I was when we finally found a campsite - we were both tired and really don't want to drive back to Alamosa for a hotel. Plus, who knows if there is a hotel room available!
Next day, we stepped in the visitor center
and watched a not-so-good introduction
video about the national park. Then we
decided to climb to the top of the sandune,
which we didn't do last time we were there.
It was hard, under the heated sun, with
hot sand in the shoes. We both made it to
the top -where we had a great view of
moutains with little white snow, blue sky,
brown sands and green trees along the
river. There were many wild sunflowers
blossoming on our last visit. Unfortunately,
it was summer and no sunflowers.
Outside the Great sandune, there was a
lonely tree standing last time we visited.
It was still standing there, with a great
silence, just like most of people in this
world.
I can't tell now how happy I was when we finally found a campsite - we were both tired and really don't want to drive back to Alamosa for a hotel. Plus, who knows if there is a hotel room available!
Next day, we stepped in the visitor center
and watched a not-so-good introduction
video about the national park. Then we
decided to climb to the top of the sandune,
which we didn't do last time we were there.
It was hard, under the heated sun, with
hot sand in the shoes. We both made it to
the top -where we had a great view of
moutains with little white snow, blue sky,
brown sands and green trees along the
river. There were many wild sunflowers
blossoming on our last visit. Unfortunately,
it was summer and no sunflowers.
Outside the Great sandune, there was a
lonely tree standing last time we visited.
It was still standing there, with a great
silence, just like most of people in this
world.
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