Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

On Sunday, August 12 we departed Ouray after spending 3 nights there.  Our next destination was Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park where we would spend just one night at South Rim Campground.  We only had a 49 mile driving day, and we stopped in Montrose, where we pumped just enough diesel to get us to the Denver area, where prices were much lower.  We then dropped in at the Walmart Supercenter, where we bought some groceries and a tabletop microwave oven to replace our broken built-in unit.  After our shopping trip, it was just a few miles up the hill to our camp at the National park.  By the way, several readers have offered us their older countertop microwave ovens, and we appreciate the offers, but of course, the logistics are impossible.  Location! Location! Location!  When we return home we will look into either repairing our Advantium or replacing it with another built-in unit.  Thanks to all for the offers!

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is a gorge carved by the Gunnison River that is a little over 2700 feet at the deepest point.  Our visit to the Black Canyon completed our sweep of visiting all four National parks in Colorado. 

Camp South Rim 

We had a reservation for site B-7.  It was a rather snug pull-through, but not a bad site for just one night.  We had 50A electric, but no cell signal, meaning no internet service.  That's always a handicap as I try to keep this journal current.  The Black Canyon's name may be due to the fact that parts of the gorge only receive 33 minutes of direct sunlight a day.  The Gunnison River is controlled by three dams upstream of the park, and water is diverted from the river to the Gunnison Tunnel.  Consequently, the flow of the Gunnison River through the park is now only about one-fifth what it once was.

This lady came by to have a drink.  I hope she didn't drink much!

After making camp we explored along the South Rim Road. 

Then we took the East Portal Road down to the river for a look-see.  

Let's not burn up those brakes!  No RVs allowed.

Gunnison River below the East Portal

Construction of the Gunnison Tunnel was started in 1905 to divert water from the Gunnison River to Uncompahgre Valley near Montrose.  It is 5.8 miles long and took four years to complete. It was built using manual hammer drills, and 26 men were killed during the construction.  I had really hoped to see the portal, but it was submerged and one could only see a concrete control structure above the actual portage.  Kinda anticlimactic.

Gunnison River below the East Portal

While hiking on the river below the East Portal, we met some government scientists who were packing up their gear.  They had just observed a mama bear and two cubs come to the river and scoop a large fish out.  We didn't see the bears, but we could hear them squealing and carrying on over the fish in the shrubs just across the river.  DANG! We were just 5 minutes late.

At most National parks there is an evening ranger presentation, and this park was no exception.  The presentation this night was about light pollution and dark skies. Black Canyon is known for its dark skies and has identified and mitigated every light in the park to reduce light scatter.  After the presentation we were to watch the Perseid meteor shower, which was predicted to be at its peak this evening.  Unfortunately the clouds prevailed, and there was no celestial show.  DRAT!!!

Early the next morning we hiked down Pine Creek Trail to the Gunnison River for a boat tour on the Morrow Point Reservoir.  This part of the river is in the Curecanti National Recreation Area, rather than in the National park.  The Curecanti National Recreation Area consists of a number of recreational facilities along the 3 reservoirs on the Gunnison River upstream of the National park.  It is a 3/4 mile hike and a descent of 232 stairs to get to the boat. 

These were perhaps the nicest of the 232 stairs; many were of stone and uneven. 

See the old Denver and Rio Grande Railroad grade along the river

Our trail down the river to the boat took us along the old grade for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad.  From Wikipedia:

• "In 1881, William Jackson Palmer's Denver and Rio Grande Railroad had reached Gunnison from Denver. The line was built to provide a link to the burgeoning gold and silver mines of the San Juan mountains. The rugged terrain precluded using 4' 8 1/2" standard rail; Palmer decided to go with the narrower 3' gauge. It took over a year for Irish and Italian laborers to carve out a 15-mile roadbed from Sapinero to Cimarron, costing a staggering $165,000 a mile. The last mile is said to have cost more than the entire Royal Gorge project."

When we got on the boat the river depth was about 7 feet and there was an observable flow. Shortly after leaving the dock and heading down river on the reservoir, there was no perceptible flow, and the old railroad grade was submerged. At our turnaround point, about 7 miles downstream, the river (reservoir) was about 180 feet deep.

 

The Curecanti Needle is a 700-ft granite spire located on the southern bank of Morrow Point Reservoir. 

The Curecanti Needle

The Curecanti Needle is featured in the logo for the D&RGRR

After our boat tour on the Morrow Point Reservoir, we departed the Gunnison River area and began working our way north and east, with our next primary destination being Rocky Mountain National Park (again) the next day. 

Matilda rolling in some rare green grass at the town park in Gunnison

The winding road continues, now with a little rain

Sometimes the winding road just straightens out for a while

After a half day boat ride and a 179 mile drive we looked for an RV park in the town of Fairplay to spend the night.  We first went to the Western Motel and RV Park, where the lady said she had one site left.  After spending almost 1/2 hour getting checked in (among other things she had to make us keys for the restrooms) she pointed me out back to site 7.  However, we found site 7 to be occupied.  CRAP!!!!  I walked back to the office in the rain for a refund and tried my best to be civil.  In the meantime Dorcas had called the only other RV park in town, and they claimed to have a space.  It turns out that the Middlefork RV Park was much nicer than the Western and $6 cheaper.

Our camp at Middlefork RV Park

The population of Fairplay is 679 and is the most populous town and the county seat of Park County. Fairplay is located in South Park at an elevation of 9,953 feet.  The town is the fifth-highest incorporated town in Colorado.  It is the highest elevation we will have slept on our Rocky Mountain adventure.

From Wikipedia:

• "South Park is a grassland flat within the basin formed by the Rocky Mountains' Mosquito and Park Mountain Ranges within central Colorado. This high valley ranges in elevation from approximately 9,000 to 10,000 ft in elevation. It encompasses approximately 1,000 square miles around the headwaters of the South Platte River."

• "Since the late 1990s, South Park has been best known as the eponymous setting of the animated series South Park. Trey Parker, one of the creators of the South Park series, grew up in Conifer, about 40 miles east of Fairplay."

11,312 is up there!

The next morning we departed Fairplay and crested Monarch Pass, one of the more significant passes we ave hencountered.  In case the pass is not high enough, there was a gondola at Monarch pass that would take you even higher up the mountain.   We passed.

I guess that's us

This afternoon we will return to Rocky Mountain National Park, where we will spend the next seven nights.  It will be nice to park in one spot for a while.