Black Canyon of the Gunnison - North Rim

Today we decide to go back to Black Canyon of the Gunnison and visit the North Rim. We drive back through Blue Mesa Reservoir and pas the Dillon Pinnacles which we will hike up to sometime.



I'm sure the view from up there is spectacular






as the view from down here is pretty good.






We will borrow the Stand Up paddle boards some day and camp down here as well.






The water is very calm in the morning but the wind picks up in the afternoon. We are told to travel west in the morning and ride the winds back in the afternoon.










We get to the Curecanti Dam






This is where we cross over






From the first overlook you can see some of the stairs (236) down to the river where you catch the Morrow Point boat tour






From the next overlook we can see the dock where you catch the boat






The river runs forever.














From Pioneer Point you can see an inlet below there are some people with a dog. The 4 mile Curecanti Creektrail goes down the over 5,000 feet. We will definitely do this one sometime.






Even when the river is out of sight the views are spectacular.






We arrive at the Canyon






and get a view of the Painted Wall from the other side.






It's a long way down there Daddy!



Balanced Rock






and the Big Island






It's just beautiful.






On the drive home we stop in Paonia to try and find some ice-cream. We find a combination Art Gallery and Ice Cream. We were told to check out the bathroom - a work of art!






Elephants dance outside






Turns out this is a big Coal Mining area






We connect to Kebler Pass






where there is the largest stand of Aspen in Colorado.









And there's one of those Marmots we were supposed to be watching out for






Till Later!


Meanwhile, we keep on Trek'n



Melissa, Gary & Tucson