Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim

As we had to go to Montrose today for the truck to get its new sensor, we decided to visit the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  This magnificent canyon was so named because the canyon is so deep, so sheer, and so narrow that very little sunlight can penetrate it.  "The canyon was created by hard rock uplifted through volcanic activity and then cut through by fast-moving water."  The river has cut through the hard core rock for two million years or an inch a century.  Now that dams upstream have lessened seasonal flooding, the carving of the canyon has slowed.  It was surprising how loud the sounds of the river was from the rim, we can only imagine how deafening it must be at the water's edge.

After a visit to the Visitor's Center, we took the drive to the various lookouts.  Here are some of our favorites pictures of the canyon:

We came across this interesting plant.  It looked like spider webs have been weaved all around it.

Here is a picture of the actual feather-like blooms.

This is a picture of the Painted Wall.  Can you see the body of a dragon or serpent?

Here is a close-up of the dragon's/serpent's head.

When we drove up to one of the look outs, we saw this Aliner sitting in the parking lot.  When we came back from the look out, the couple (Chris & Sally Mendota) were getting in to their car.  We spoke with them about their Aliner and than we had previously owned on.  It seems that they know John's sister and bil, Bonnie and Butch.  One of them must be an artist because their prior Aliner had a Snoopy theme to it and this one was totally different. 

As we were finishing up the the last few lookouts, a light rain started.  We could hear thunder off in the distance.  The last couple of lookouts were shrouded in clouds; it was amazing how quickly the clouds rolled in.  We even had the opportunity to see some Golden Eagles soaring on the canyon thermals.  

Soon it was time to head to Montrose and the Ford Dealer.  About an hour later we were back on the road.  The Service Writer advised us that a strong storm was heading our way.  We were pretty hungry so we stopped at a restaurant called The Red Barn; weather be darned.  Our meals were very good.  John was especially happy with his beef stew that they brought out in a cast iron cauldron (he ate every bit LOL).  It was loaded with big chunks of tender beef and was was flavorful he said.  

As we headed back to Gunnison with light rain falling, it soon became apparent that the area had received some heavy rainfall.  We came across a traffic slowdown where work was being done to clean up a drainage area that had washed out, causing water to wash over the road.  When we got home, it was apparent that a heavy downpour had just gone through.  Looks like we dodged all the heavy rain that came through the area today.  Local weatherman says tomorrow will be a repeat of today.  

As we did the south rim today and we still have access to the park for a week, we plan on touring the north rim on Thursday (weather permitting).