Day 22 - Durango, Co. - Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Nat. Park

The drive north from Durango was packed with beautiful mountains and a few passes.  The first pass - Coal Bank pass elev. 10,640` was a push and then Molas pass elev. 10,899` was fun.  I wanted to stop at every turn but there was not a pullout.

Always snow on the north sides of the mountains (and I am headed north, so that is my view) which makes for a great picture.  My truck made it over the passes without much problem and so far I am averaging about 16.7 MPG - not to bad.
What`s that you want more pictures - well....

Of course I had to work my truck into the shot.  This is on top of Molas Pass which I noticed has gained in elev. from my map, the sign shows it at 10,910`.

Then I was in Silverton, an old mining town which is preserved to look as it did around the turn of the century.  It is the other end of the old steam train that runs from Durango and is heavily tourist orientated. 

There are a lot of motorcycles, as you can see in this picture and it is ringed by snow covered mountains

Leaving Silverton and on to Ouray, another small old mining town.

Ouray is just about the same a Silverton except they have a great ROCK shop - the kind I like.  So I had to pick up a few small additions to my mineral case at home,

If you look closely you can make out the word "ROCKS" to the left of the flag.  Yep that where I headed.
On to Black Canyon of the Gunnison Nat. Park which is just east of Montrose,Co.

This place is amazing - it is a large high area that has been cut down through solid granite (over millions of years) to form a shear canyon.  The depth is about 2,300` from rim to the river bed and the walls a almost vertical.  I am not sure it is possible to get from these pictures the scale but here goes.....

You can see the surrounding country around the rim is forests and fairly level.  But the river (visible at the bottom of this shot) is busily cutting the canyon deeper at the rate of an inch a century.

Another view of the river below and a few spires that resisted it`s force.

One last look at the canyon and the surrounding country.This is the view below is looking west from the highest point on a trail at the end of the Park rim drive.  Nice mountains!

That is it for now - you did`t think I was going to close without getting myself in the blog.

That is going to have to hold you for a few days since I will be is an area with no reception until I get to the

Denver area.

Signing off for now