Day 33 - Glenwood Springs, Co. - Colorado National Monument

I had been in Glenwood Springs years ago on a bicycle tour so I had several rides planned but.....   The rain had washed rocks down from the surrounding hills and the roads were a mess.  Also a bicycle path that parallels Hwy 70 through a beautiful canyon was flooded the Colorado River.  So I found a great RV park and did a little driving around.

They have a lot of "rocks" around here so everyone uses it for their town signs - no maintenance!

The town is situated in a valley with red sandstone hills all around.  It is a big ski town in the winter.

On to Colorado National Monument (located just west of Grand Junction, Co, - almost to the border with Utah).  As you can see from this picture, the park is on top of a large "mesa" and is surrounded by deep canyons. 
It is a 2,000` climb to get up into the park and is a very twisty road but great views from on top.

This formation is called "Independence Monument" and you can see the town in the background.

There are some interesting formations.

And great views.

The roads are in beautiful shape and I got to ride this one the next morning when there was no traffic.  The clouds were nice also.

Some big canyons that you could get lost in.......

The next morning when I rode my bicycle up to the top of the mesa and had to go through several tunnels.  This one was straight but another was curved and fairly long.  It was dark in there and a little scary if a car came while I was inside the tunnel.  The ride was 2,000` of elevation change but the road on top was great (see other picture).  Beautiful location and not to many people.
The end for today.