Black Canyon of Gunnison, Colorado-National Park 7/20 - 7/23 2020 Travel Tour

From: casarollnotes.blogspot.com 

Tim and Linda Bunyan

Tim and I stop for morning coffee as we depart Ami's Acres in Glenwood Springs on the Travel Tour 2020 to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  This coffeehouse place in Carbondale (off Hwy 82 onto Highway 133) caught our eye and there was room along the side of the road to stop 
with the travel trailer in tow.
The KaleidoScoops Icecream and More and next door: the Deja Brew.

Stop out front of Deja Brew coffee shack.  Covid ordering from outside at the window.
Signage while waiting for our coffee order.AWe've time, on the drive to the Black Canyon, to take a side stop as we leave the Gunnison River through the remote Redstone Historic District.

Although remote, this little getaway village is listed of the National Register of Historic Places and includes several properties that are also separately listed on the National Register.
Tutor-style mansion built for coal mining empire John Osgood's second wife,
 Swedish Countess Alma Regina Shelgrem.  Cleveholm is set on 72-acres, now operated as a resort.

In its time one of the country's richest men entertained guests like Theodore Roosevelt and John D. Rockefeller who joint Osgood on hunts.Louis Comfort Tiffany's work and design can be found here in this village.
The Chrystal River runs through it.  For those sophisticated fishermen 

who come to the quiet to fish.
Across is the coke ovens that processed coal mined higher up in the mountains and loaded onto a rail line.  Miners and cokers in the town lived in cottages with electricity and running eater, considered 
luxury items at the time.
Estate at Redstone village.
Cabin to market of the eclectic collection of antique goods.
Convenience Market for those visitors stays in Redstone. 
 Many elite fishing activities here in this secluded enclave.
Antiques to browse and amuse for purchase.
The Chrystal River runs through it.  For those sophisticated fishermen who come to the quiet to fish.
Across is the coke ovens that processed coal mined higher up in the mountains and loaded onto a rail line.  Miners and cokers in the town lived in cottages with electricity and running water, considered 
luxury items at the time.
We continue our short 90 miles distance from Glenwood Springs to the National Park of Black CanyonThe Aspen trees sway and wave us into the area of the eastern motion of the Rockies.
Current mining operation along the Highway in the Rocky Mountains.and there are some valleys in these Rockies filled with life-giving corn The valleys in this White Mountain National Forrest are compelling.We enter the National Park of Black Canyon of the Gunnison River to a convenient market and gas stop.The dramatic canyon is a 48-mile long Black Canyon of the Gunnison River.
  The National Park contains the deepest section of the canyon. 
The South Rim entrance, 15 miles east of Montrose.
We carve out our place here in this National Park with electricity.  We barely fit.

Often overshadowed by Colorado's better known national parks, Black Canyon Gunnison Natrioanl Park received its name because a lack of sunlight creates sections so dark, they look black.  One 2,722 foot-deep and 40' wide sees only about 30 minutes of sun per day.

The dramatic canyon is a 48-mile long Black Canyon of the Gunnison River.  The National Park contains the deepest section of the canyon. Mike and Sherry pointing the way!   
Mike and Sherry at Visitor Center getting a map and finding an evening Ranger Program.Many come by many modes of transportation.  This couple told us they have come many times.........from Ohio!  Here to hike.Tim registering at the Overlook Point balcony at the Visitor's Center.Visitor Center and trail to Overlook Point.Ron and Fran at Overlook PointA billion years aA billion years ago the molten rock was squeezed into fissures forming the light-colored bands which thread the Black Canyon's otherwise black walls.Black Canyon is so named because its steepness makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate into its depths.

The Gunnison River runs through the canyon drops at a rapid 43 feet per mile on average; in comparison, the Grand Canyon's Colorado River drops at about 7.5 feet per mile.
The Precambrian gneiss and schist that make up the majority of the steep walls formed 1.7 billion years ago during a metamorphic period brought on by the collision of an ancient volcanic island arc.It is Peaceful here at Gunnison and 'a rest stop' on life's journey.Magnificient scenery and clean air combine to create memorable views here at Black Canyon.Swift-water of the Gunnison River and abrasion of the sediment it carries are the chief cutting tools that deepen the Black Canyon. A One in a Million !!If the Empire State Building stood upon the valley floor, it would reach halfway up the canyon wall.Each layer of rock marks a span of geologic time.Yellow Rabbitbush.The Ranger Program told of the Preserve the Sounds of the National Park.   To listen and notice the birds of the violet-green swallow and the dusky grouse.  He spoke of the animal's reactions to our sound.At its narrowest point, the canyon is only 40' wide at the river.The lighter-colored pegmatite dikes crosscutting the basement rocks formed later.Mike and Sherry venture to the highest cliff in Colorado: Painted Wall.
Two full days here at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison; it is time to move forward to Ridgeway, Colorado to abide near Ouray and Telluride, Colorado.