Four U.S. National Parks in five days:
Colorado National Monument.
Leaving the hotel we drive north towards Interstate 70. The lanscape changes from red rocks to a sandy yellow. At the interstate we take a left and settle in for the straight shot to Colorado National Monument. To our right we can see Arches National Park lurking in the distance.
Colorado National Monument preserves a landscape of sheer-walled canyons cut into sandstone and granite. Pinyon and juniper forests spread over the desert lands of the Colorado Plateau. The 23-mile Rim Rock Road hugs the cliffs offering expansive views from the canyons to the plateau below.
The road bends along with the curves of the canyon rim we follow. At the visitor center a ranger pointed out a few of the highlights. Each is a short hike from the parking lots.
Our first stop is for Otto’s trail for its view of Independence Monument and the surroundings canyon and cliffs. Named after John Otto, the first white man to begin exploring the canyon area in 1906, it affords beautiful views of the many monoliths and of the Colorado River Valley. It’s an easy walk and you can walk all the way to the edge of the canyon. For most of the area there are no guardrails. I scoot as close as I dare to the edges to take photos, but my fear of heights keeps me from standing there.
We continue on, stopping at the Independence Monument view to see it from the other side and look further into the canyon we’re driving along.
At Grand View I walk as close as I dare to the edge of the canyon to take photos of the canyon walls. I attempt to take a photo of the canyon floor but I’m not close enough and I don’t dare to stand up so close to the edge. The rock slopes slightly dowards and I crawl on my belly to a point but then stop, unwilling to get closer. I take what photos I can.
At the Coke Ovens Overlook we alight and take a short walk to the overlook. Thankfully there’s a railling along the entire cliff edge. The path is blocked by a tree that grows in the middle of it, but we see two men climb around it on their way back to the parking lot. They hadn’t gone far. They walked a little way to a small cave and then back.
My mother’s taken to taking photos of all the wildflowers we encounter. Her phone identifies them and she’s started quite the collection. It’s the perfect time for wildflowers; they line the highway and the roads and paths we’ve taken, brightening the landscape with dashes of color.
At Artist’s point I alight and walk the path to the overlook. Everyone else chooses to stay by the car. We’re becoming slightly pressed for time and decide that it’s the last walk we’ll do.
As we drive towards the end of the canyon we stop at some of the canyon viewpoints for a quick look at a photo, but do not linger. It’s a pity as the canyon views are some of the most majestic in the park.
At the other end of the park we find ourselves in Grand Junction. It’s lunchtime and given our limited time and the options available end up at McDonald’s. I can’t remember the last time I was in a McDonald’s and find myself asking the cashier what some of the menu items are. I end up ordering a chicken sandwich; it’s delicious.
We eat at a table in the children’s play place accompanied by the screaming of childen as they run and slide and chase each other. It’s cacophonous, but seems appropriate for a lunch at what was my favorite restaurant as a child.
At various points over the course of the week, my parents talked about the trips they took us on when we were children: the hours-long drives without air conditioning, me complaining in the back seat; the camping we did on our trips to the national parks; the places we’ve been and the things we had and hadn’t seen. They joke that where once they took us on these trips, now I’m taking them.
When I told my friend’s mother I was planning this trip she told me to cherish this time with my parents. I have and am thankful that my mother proposed this. What I at first thought curious (why the Four Corners?), I’ve now come to realize is a gift. One I’ll hold dear forever.
25 May 2023
❤️
