The Black Canyon of the Gunnison

About an hour and a half south of my house is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.  Because it's so close, I try to get down there at least once a year.  A few weeks ago, I realized I had yet to visit this year, so I made the journey on a gorgeous autumn afternoon.

It's a challenge to capture the canyon's impressive majesty with photographs.  Because it's so narrow and deep, little light makes its way to the bottom.  In October, the low angle of the sun allows even less light to penetrate the depths of the canyon.  That does nothing to diminish the experience of viewing it from any of the overlooks on the north or south rims, and thus I don't hesitate to visit regardless of the time of year.

The scrub oak was still ablaze in color so late in the season, and the rim of the canyon has a lot of it, along with pinon pine, cacti,  and other high desert flora.

Springtime in the Colorado desert

Returning to the Colorado National Monument yesterday, we saw cactus flowers beginning to bloom.  They'll peak out later this month.

The Colorado National Monument

West of Grand Junction, Colorado, the Colorado National Monument is a great example of desert landscape.  Canyons, mesas, cacti, lizards, sagebrush, juniper, and lots of great rocks greet visitors. 

Spring is "mud season" in the mountains, so we like hitting the desert this time of year.  The temperatures are near-perfect in April and May, and many plants are blooming. 

You should stay on the trail, so as not to disturb the fragile environment.  Cryptobiotic soil is fascinating but easily disturbed.  For this shot, I did leave the trail, walking up a wash a few yards.  There's no cryptobiotic soil in the bottom of a wash, because of the spring run-off, so I didn't have that worry.