Greetings from near Gunnison, Colorado.  We are camped overlooking the Blue Mesa Reservoir and sagebrush covered hills and snow covered mountains in the background.    The temperature is now 70 degrees F. but it went down to 16 on our first night here.  A forty degree temperature swing is common here.

We left Lamar just after the storm passed.  I swept snow from the roll-up covers of the slide outs as Anne reeled them in.  We rolled west and I wondered what we would encounter at Monarch Pass in the afternoon.  The wind was brisk and cold. 

We had hoped to enjoy a long view of Pikes Peak, but it never appeared.  The morning was unsettled and bands of clouds passed overhead.  We could see snow showers dropping out of them, but no precipitation reached the ground.  Our elevation reached more than four thousand feet before the decent to the base of the Rockies.  The explanation for this drop is interesting.  In shattering the resident rock, the thrusting of the emerging mountains provided easier ground for the rivers to cut.  So the streams formed along the edge of the mountains and eroded the nearby plains more quickly than the more distant land to the east.  So, one looses elevation approaching the mountains. 

We read the roadside geology book as we rolled (thanks Tony and Margaret) and watched for the peaks.  Eventually we saw them.  The sky mostly cleared except for the sector that surrounded Pikes Peak.  We never saw it.  We did see the snow covered Wet Mountains rising southwest of Pueblo and later the mighty peaks of the Sawatch Range. 

While in the plains Anne drove the rig for a few hours.  Enough to keep her in practice in case I am unable to perform that duty.  Our new setup with the new Ford Focus dinghy seems to be working well.  The fancy “Brake Buddy” that brakes the car with the motorhome is a nuisance, probably adds little to safety, but makes us legal in some places. 

I drove us across the continental divide at Monarch’s Pass (11,312 feet elevation) in the afternoon.  Our RV, “Harley”, pulled the new and slightly heavier dinghy up the ridge without complaint.  Having heard reports of this crossing but not knowing it from experience, I dropped into second gear immediately after going over the top.  The descent looked steep and the sign reported a steep grade for nine miles.  Usually the rig requires no braking in second gear, but it did there.  Not a lot, or heavy braking, but still regular light applications to maintain an easy speed and modest r.p.m.’s.  Nine miles later I relaxed, believing the balance of the trip would be smooth.  It was.  We enjoyed fabulous scenery across the high dry prairies that lie between the great ranges of the Rockies.

Here the various ranges of the Sawatch Mountains are to the north and the San Juan Mountains are to the south.  The Gunnison River drains to the west and has been pushed around by the rising of these great chains.  Rivers often find softer ground to chew through, but the rising earth on both sides forced the Gunnison to grind into a mass of “basement rock” west of here.  The river, provided with lots of grit by the glaciers has cut a groove some 2,000 feet deep and, in places, less than 1,500 feet wide into this black rock. 

Yesterday we toured the national park that includes much of the canyon.  We followed the rim road from lookout to lookout.  The park was not crowded.  Too early in the season and too cold for the crowds.  Still, the sun shone and we had a great time.  We made short walks and found them challenging.  We were not yet accommodated to hiking at 8,000 feet.  We’ll do better next time. 

This morning we woke to the alarm at 3:00 a.m., ate breakfast, and drove to the Waunita viewing station.  Arriving at 4:40 a.m., we were remarkably greeted by a student worker who gave instructions and gave us a survey form.  We sat in the cold darkness (in our car) for about a half hour.  A herd of horses moved across the lek area.  Finally in the dim light we could see smaller movements.  Then just as it became light enough to see, the grouse flew off.  We had clearly seen sage grouse and could identify the species by location.  It was far from the best sighting of a life bird, but we had it.  Perhaps some day we can spend enough time in this area to enjoy better views. 

We spent the rest of the morning exploring a creek valley with its canyons and flats.  This afternoon we napped.  Tonight we drive south to the continental divide to seek boreal owls calling.