6/19 Black Canyon of the Gunnison

There are only a few places that deserve a "Wow" from me, and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison is one of them.  I was here about 40 years ago and again about 25 years ago, and it is still a "Wow" place.  You enter the park on a high plateau, at about 8,000 ' high.

What makes this place unique is the depth of the canyon and the narrowness.  The reason it is called the black canyon is that the bottom seldom gets much sun. 

If you look closely, you can see the river below.  It is about 60-75' wide and drops faster than the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon. 

Here's looking back at my motorhome from a scenic viewpoint I walked to.

Here's a cute little guy on a rock.  He was about 8" long. 

More photos of the river and canyon.  Can you imagine hiking down here?  It is really more like a slide down and a scramble up. 

Can't stop taking photos of snow-capped mountains!

Here's a telephoto of the river.  Not even much of a place to walk alongside it once you get down there. 

This is looking back towards Montrose, CO.

Interesting log twisted by the wind during its life, I thought.

And a doe near my campsite.  I thought she looked a little thin.