Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Tuesday, August 9

Yesterday (actually Tuesday - so reading it as today but I’m writing from tomorrow) we didn’t have a cell phone signal at our campground so I couldn’t do the blog (internet was weird and Papa refuses to use Microsoft.)

So YESTERDAY (Tuesday) we woke up bright and early for the next adventure- this time to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. We drove until around noon and finally got almost there. At Blair’s truck stop (about ½ an hour out) we dumped (self explanatory) the RV and filled it up with water because we wouldn’t have those facilities at our campground. From there we detached the CRV so Mom, Dad, and I took it ahead to the park to check out our campsite.

We ended up being WAY earlier than Mimi and Papa so we went ahead to an overlook and the visitors center to see what we were getting into. The overlook we visited ended up being part of the hike that we would take later in the day.

By the time I drove us (cause I can drive in case you haven’t noticed) to the campsite, Mimi and Papa were just pulling in. The RV spot was really nice and secluded, but not as in away from other RVs. As in there are trees and bushes on every side of you so when you back in you have to calculate the amount of room to leave on each side so we could get the slides out. It was definitely a tight squeeze, but Mimi being an expert driver and Papa being an expert guide, got us in.

Once we were settled and had lunch, Mom, Dad, Papa, Evan and I picked a hike that would take us from our campsite to the visitors center (much like the one at Colorado National Monument.) It took us a little over an hour and we saw a few beautiful angles of the canyon. This canyon was 2300 feet deep. Yall. You can’t even begin to comprehend how big it was and we’re just standing at the edge of it.

At one point during the hike, Papa got us all out on a ledge to take a few pictures. It was very scary, but the pictures turned out great.

When we got to the visitors center an hour later, Mimi was there to pick us up. (we agreed that she’d pick us up in an hour because we didn’t have the cell service to call her.)

From there we went to 2 more overlooks with short hikes to get some whole family pictures and see other parts of the canyon.

Our last stop was the painted wall. I can’t even begin to describe it so I’ll just have Papa put in some pictures.

When we got home, we started fixing dinner - Mac n cheese, mushrooms, baked potatoes, and bacon wrapped steak that tasted like love. We all ate outside even though it was cold and had a good time trying to make up a one word story.

Once we were all cleaned up, we rested for a little while and read our books. Once it got really dark, Mom and I went outside to take some pictures of the stars. I’ve really got the hang of it now, all I needed was Papa’s camera expertise.