I Heart Grand Junction

Day 11 – July 9, 2016

Glenwood Springs, CI – Grand Junction, CO

95 miles/1 ½ hours

Temperature - the high in GJ was 101! But dry.

Today was a day that was full of surprises – good ones. We got an early start this morning, heading west to Grand Junction, CO, which is a city located at the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. Upon first impression, I was very nervous. The eastern end of town is very industrial. I kept wondering what I’d gotten us into, but felt palpable relief upon pulling up at our hotel, which was located downtown on Main Street. Downtown is a very cute area, with shops and restaurants.

Grand Junction made the itinerary because it’s closely located to the Colorado National Monument. Since we’d arrived before check-in time, I decided to head over to the monument. I’m not certain what the distinction is between a National Monument and a National Park (but I definitely need to research it). I thought we were going to see one thing – a “monument.” However, in my opinion the Colorado Monument is more like a park. Visitors pass through an entrance gate and experience more than 20,000 acres of natural wonders. It’s pretty freaking awesome. The monument is part of the Colorado Plateau, which is a high desert land. The valleys of the plateau are populated with juniper tries and the contrast is quite stunning. The winding roads of the park take you to the top of the plateau, where you drive along the rim rocks and are rewarded with some breathtaking views. When you’re driving, if you look down over the edge, you’ll get vertigo. Pretty scary.

The temperatures were hovering at around 100 degrees, and the heights of some of the trails caused me to abort any plans I had for hiking. We did stop at many viewpoints though, and Cammy was quite funny. Hunter had to be dragged out of the car to look, but Cammy was quite enthusiastic about it. He insisted that we all follow him, “Because he was quite good at navigating the trails.” Hmm…I guess he preferred these conditions over the sand dunes!

As we left the park, there were signs for a dinosaur museum along the highway. I held my breath and sped up, but not quick enough. Cammy saw the signs and begged me to stop. We did, and he loved it. The museum was kind of cheesy, but it was worth it to hear Cammy rattle off the names of the various dinosaurs (along with all the boring facts).

We ate dinner at a little downtown Italian café and sat outside. It was utterly charming and I have to admit, I fell a little in love with Grand Junction. And our dinner was fabulous!

Cammy in Dino heaven!