 |
| A pinnacle in the Park |
Scott and I took a quick camping trip in early May so that
he could shoot some drone footage for a friend. I just came along for the ride.
Our first stop was Colorado National Monument in Fruita,
near Grand Junction.
This is a beautiful place. I’ve been a few times before
but never camped there. The campground is quite pretty. We booked too late to
get one of the sites with a nice view over the cliff, but we still had a lovely
spot.
 |
| Steep walls |
The river was formerly named the
Grand River, which led to all the names beginning with “Grand” (that includes the Grand Canyon).
Situated at the edge of the Uncompahgre Uplift, the park is part of the greater Colorado Plateau, which includes many geologic wonders, including the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Canyonlands and Arches National Parks.
Colorado National Monument features sheer-walled canyons cut
deep into sandstone and granite/gneiss/schist rock formations topped with
pinion and juniper forests on the plateau. And, it has the largest flat-topped
mountain in the world, the Grand Mesa.
 |
| Monument Canyon |
Monument Canyon runs the width of the
park and includes rock formations such as Independence Monument, the Kissing
Couple and the Coke Ovens, so named because they look like coke ovens, not
because they are coke ovens (I say this because there are ruins of real old
coke ovens along the highway in Redstone, Colorado). See the resemblance?
 |
| Left, Colorado NM's Coke Ovens formation; right, actual coke ovens in Redstone, Colorado |
Before the area was explored in the early 20th century, many
area residents believed the canyons were inaccessible. After local settler John
Otto built trails on the plateau and into the canyons, the Grand Junction
Chamber of Commerce and the local newspaper began lobbying to make the canyon a
National Park. After the bill failed, President William Howard Taft, who had
visited the area, used the highest powers available to him via the Antiquities
Act to declare the canyons as a National Monument. In case you ever wondered
what the difference is between a National Park and a National Monument – that’s
the main one. Congress must legislate designation as a National Park; the
President can designate a National Monument.
 |
| A wide view |
Otto was hired as the first park ranger, drawing a salary of
$1 per month. For the next 16 years, he continued building and maintaining
trails while living in a tent in the park.
Since that time, there have been a number of efforts to
change the designation – the latest in 2014, led by U.S. Sen. Mark Udall. Under Trump, I doubt seriously that there is any hope for that any time soon.
 |
| A steep cliff |
Many of the Monument's early visitor facilities were designed by the National Park Service and then constructed by the
Public Works Administration and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
A major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal during the Great Depression,
the CCC provided unskilled manual labor jobs for young unmarried men ages 17-28. The work was related to conserving and developing natural resources in rural lands owned by
federal, state and local governments.
Through the course of its nine years (1933-42) in operation, 3 million young men participated in the CCC, which provided them with shelter, clothing and food, together with a wage of $30 (about $570 in today’s dollars) per month, $25 of which had to be sent home to their families.
Enrollees of the CCC planted nearly 3 billion trees to reforest
America; constructed trails, lodges and related facilities in more than 800 federal parks; upgraded many state parks; updated forest fire fighting methods and procedures; and
built a network of service buildings, bridges and public roadways in remote areas.
The CCC was a temporary agency that depended on emergency and temporary funding. By 1942, with World War II and the draft in operation, the need for work relief declined, and Congress voted to close the program.
Through the course of its nine years (1933-42) in operation, 3 million young men participated in the CCC, which provided them with shelter, clothing and food, together with a wage of $30 (about $570 in today’s dollars) per month, $25 of which had to be sent home to their families.
 |
| Interesting formation |
The
CCC built some of the National Parks’ most beautiful bridges and buildings.
 |
| Pretty light |
The entire Rim Rock Drive is a National Historic District and some of the Park's buildings are on the National Register of Historic Places.
The park comprises three different groups of rock and
sediment: early-to-middle Proterozoic gneiss and schist, Mesozoic sedimentary
rocks including Wingate sandstone and Quaternary unconsolidated deposits of
alluvium, colluvium and sand dunes.
When we arrived, we entered via the more westerly entrance
(even though we came from the east) because the eastern portal road was closed
for major construction. Although there is still some work going on now, I
believe the road has re-opened.
As we drove the Rim Rock Drive, we saw a really special
sight: down on a ledge below us ...
 |
| Desert Bighorn Sheep |
... were female Desert Bighorn Sheep with tiny baby
Bighorns. These were the smallest ones I have ever seen ...
 |
| A great vantage point |
... perhaps just a few days old ...
 |
| So cute |
We didn’t see much wildlife beyond the Bighorns, except the
usual Ravens and some very pretty Mountain Bluebirds enjoying sunset ...
 |
| A brilliant bird |
We did a little exploring in the area, which is highly
agricultural. I took some pictures at a local sheep farm and am still trying to
confirm what kind of sheep these are – I think Merino but am not sure. Trying
to ID domestic animals is much harder than identifying wildlife.
 |
| Local farm |
But, the setting of the sheep farm made it worth photographing -- especially with the majestic Colorado National Monument in the background.
We also visited Highline Lake State Park, thinking it might hold
some wildlife, but there wasn’t a lot to see. It’s a small pretty lake with a
nice campground and picnic areas.
 |
| Highline Park |
They allow waterskiing in the lake, but it
seemed awfully small to support much activity. In addition to the main lake,
there is a small lake that is restricted to non-motorized boats.
Colorado National Monument is truly beautiful -- and it is so much closer to home that I tend to think it is. Well worth the visit ...
 |
| Spectacular! |
Trip date: April 29-May 1, 2018
No comments:
Post a Comment