Colorado National Monument

Day 45, (September 7, 2021)

From Antelope Island we headed east to Colorado. Along the way we made up and played a simple variant of DnD exploring different possibilities for our future lives. This idea was inspired by Wes mentioning a similar game that he played to help explore his own future. 

Just across the Colorado-Utah border we entered Colorado National Monument. The road up to the top of the canyons felt similar to Going to the Sun Road in Glacier. Both roads wind their way up steep cliffs, have sheer drop-offs and great views. Both roads were also constructed by CCC workers in the early 1930s. 

We headed to the campground that sits on the top of the monument and found ourselves a nice first-come, first-served site. With our lodging secured, we drove further along Rim Rock Road towards some quick trails overlooking the canyons. 

The overlooks themselves have nice fences to keep you back from the sheer cliffs, but along the trail there is no such protection! You can walk right up to the edge and look over the 200 foot drop (if you're brave enough). Nolan could only manage to look over while lying down on his belly. Monisha couldn't manage to look over even using the same technique.

It was fun learning the whimsical names of the various tall formations along the edge of the canyon: The Praying Hands, Kissing Couple, Mushroom Rock, and The Book Cliffs were some of our favorites. We also learned some of the geological history behind the canyon. Different layers of the rock were formed by totally different surface conditions. Rivers, deserts, and mud pits have all existed here and each created their own unique looking layers.

Tonight's dinner was one of the most fun meals we've cooked and eaten on this trip. It was still quite hot in the evening, and our initial plan of ramen didn't sound as appealing as usual. The solution? Inspired by Kenji-Lopez Alt we decided to make our own (instant ramen) cold dipping noodles! The meal turned out fresh and cool which hit the spot as we ate it in our warm, sunny campsite. 

Day 46 (September 8, 2021)

We woke up early (7am) to hopefully beat the heat while hiking. The selected trail was a 12 mile out and back that begins at the bottom of the monument and climbs all the way back up to the top of Rim Rock Road. The first few miles meanders through the canyons and we got the opportunity for a new perspective on all the rock formations we had seen the evening before.

We passed by the Kissing Couple and rounded another formation that had a surprisingly human looking head on top.

In the last mile we gained pretty much all of the elevation and had a great view over the valley. 

Our return trip included a stop for lunch at the base of Independence Monument which features prominently in several of the earlier pictures in this post. 

We saw another couple climb all the way to the top. We didn't bring any ropes or climbing equipment, so this is as far as we got:

That evening we found another nice campsite at Highline Lake which we picked out specifically so we could go for a refreshing swim.