A "Monumental" Day

We arrived at the James M. Robb State Park in Fruit on Wednesday and it took us only about half an hour to set up and settle in.  That left us all afternoon to do some exploring.

So, off we went to Colorado National Monument.  We thought it might take us an hour or so, but we wound up taking 4 hours between driving and stopping at most of the overviews.  Not at all like I had envisioned.

We got excellent views of the Grand Junction valley below us.

However, to get to those awesome views, we had to drive up some roads with steep drop offs.  Did you notice that there are NO guardrails?  I kept asking Don to hug the yellow line while I tried calming myself.  Seriously, that is exactly what I did!  Just looking at this picture gives me chills up and down my spine.

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and I heartily agree.  There is no way I can describe the beauty of God's creation with just words.

An old gnarled Juniper tree, weathered and without needles, stands in front of the beautiful backdrop of the canyon.

The large rock at the very front is called Independence Monument, and the smaller one almost in the middle of the picture is called Praying Hands. Off the middle and to the right is the Pipe Organ rock.

As I came upon this trail post, I was reminded of Don's father, Otto.  He was such a wonderful father, father-in-law, grandpa.  

Otto's trail took me out over the mesa, where I was able to get this picture.

The tall rock below is called Independence Monument.  John Otto was the first person to summit it in 1911. Every year, on the 4th of July, hundreds of people climb up to the top.  The final part is the precarious backward leaning climb around the caprock.  That is something I will never, ever do!  

The Coke Ovens Overlook shows off the unique formation of these group of rocks.

Below is the view from Cold Shivers Point.  It was very windy that day, and at times it was hard to stand up straight.  I was glad for the guard rail when I finally got the nerve to look down!  No wonder it is named Cold Shivers Point.

This is a picture at one of the overlooks.  Glad I wasn't in that van!  One more thing to be thankful for.