Wild Country: Our National Parks

 

Something will have gone out of us as a people if we ever let the remaining wilderness be destroyed. We simply need that wild country available to us, even if we never do more than drive to its edge and look in. For it can be a means of reassuring ourselves of our sanity as creatures, as part of the geography of hope. 

Wallace Stegner, The Sound of Mountain Water

The quote above was on a sign at the last overlook we visited at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. 

HOPE ... it's something that we could all use in today's world. We are increasingly bombarded with disagreement - whether it's on the Senate floor ... or in our local communities ... or on the inevitable Facebook, Instagram or X scroll.

Even before the government shutdown, it's been a tough year for the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The South Rim Fire started on July 10, 2025, due to dry lightning in the canyon leading to the park's closure and visitor evacuations. While the fire was significantly contained as of mid-August, the South Rim and East Portal campgrounds and parts of the South Rim road remained closed to allow for recovery and ensure visitor safety from hazards like flash flooding and falling trees. It burned 4,000 acres. 

The South Rim Visitors Center reopened on August 18.

But, after the government shutdown in early October, the doors were again locked at the visitors centers and there was this sign:

During this lapse in appropriations, national parks will remain as accessible as possible. We are doing our best to take care of your parks at this time, but some amenities and services may not be available.  

Thankfully, the National Park Department didn't barricade the roads or the overlooks. So we were able to see another of our nation's parks during our Colorado trip.

Still, the evidence of the wildfires was apparent - even at our very first stop. 

 

It's a little hard to tell from the photo, but if you look closely, you might see a little green peeking through the charred earth as the earth begins to rebound and recover. It reminded me of pasture fires here in Kansas. The old growth is burned off so that new green grass sprouts. 

So, HOPE ... even in less-than-ideal conditions. The craggy rock formations were also a reminder of harsh conditions. 

 

Black Canyon of the Gunnison lies on the eastern edge of the Colorado Plateau,  a region spanning Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. 

 

It's a region well known for its natural features, plateaus, buttes, deep canyons and colorful rock layers. It is also adjacent to the Southern Rocky Mountains.

 

Black Canyon is the result of multiple episodes of uplift and erosion and the carving power of the Gunnison River. The canyon displays a wide variety of rock types - including igneous, metamorphic, and sedimentary. 

 

Black Canyon exposes nearly two billion year old Precambrian "basement rocks." Deposition, uplift and erosion are the key factors that created the canyon seen today. Black Canyon's greatest depth is 2,722 feet. The narrowest width is 40 feet at the river. 

We were amused by this sign at a trailhead. 

We weren't tempted to try it anyway, but note the last line:

Remember: Hiking down is optional; hiking back up is mandatory.  

Another of the overlook markers talked about being "perched on the edge of the untrammeled." 

We were glad not to do any extensive "trammeling." It looked pretty treacherous to us.

 

We are perched on the edge of the untrammeled - a place where human impact is limited. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison Wilderness is just below you. Small towns, limited industry and open skies have left the total view untouched. The works of our own hands are few. Here Earth is alive. Yet we can still harm lands without and outside designated Wilderness. Most of this view is unprotected. Still, we can be part of his living world. Wilderness is preserved as much in our hearts as on the land itself. 

We saw "wilderness" of a different kind at another national park - the Great Sand Dunes National Park. We were very surprised to find the Visitors Center and campgrounds open there, with park rangers available. We're not sure why those rangers were at work during the government shutdown, but we were thankful for their presence. We appreciated the opportunity to see the visitors center there, along with an an informative film about the dunes. 

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve protects the tallest dunes in North America. 

 

 

 The park contains ecosystems ranging from mountains to grasslands to wetlands to forest to tundra. 

During a wetter time thousands of years ago, ancient lakes covered much of the valley floor. Streams carried eroded sediments from the San Juan Mountains and the Sangre de Cristo Mountains into these lakes. Over time, a thick layer of sand was deposited at the bottom of these lakes.

 

Through natural climate change, the lakes have largely diminished, leaving a vast sheet of sand on the valley floor. Predominate winds from the southwest funnel sand into a low curve of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Storm winds push sand back, forming the tall dune field.  

The Great Sand Dunes National Preserve covers approximately 44,661 acres. 

Advice from Great Sand Dunes:

Be ready for adventure.

Cherish wild spaces.

Embrace winds of change.

Spend time outdoors.

Keep a sense of wonder.

Don't get carried away.

Stay loose.  

 

Postcard from the visitors' center

 

Scenes from Colorado

 

"It's one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen." 

 

So said a guy with a huge telephoto lens as we stopped at an overlook on a Colorado highway. He was referring to a lake just a little ways down the road.  So I took my little Nikon, hopped back in the car and took his advice. I was glad we did.

Just a few miles down the road was Trout Lake. It was an unscheduled - but beautiful - stop as we traveled between Mesa Verde National Park and Montrose, Colorado. The sun wasn't in an ideal spot for photos. But it was beautiful anyway.

Trout Lake is operated by the Public Service of Colorado as part of the historic Ames Hydroelectric Development. Trout Lake Recreation Area is open to the public for day use from "ice out" to October 31.

That other photographer knew what he was talking about. Another internet site says "Trout Lake is one of the most photogenic spots along Lizard Head Pass, the mountain route connecting Rico and Telluride, Colorado."

Of course, I also finagled some earlier photo stops from my chauffeur. 

One of the stops was Lizard Head Pass. The sign said that elevation was 13,113 feet. No wonder it was so chilly, and there was some ice on water.

 

Along the route, I could glimpse the river from the road and wanted a stop that also showed some fall color. Mission accomplished. 

This was another random stop along a road near Cimarron, Colorado. (At least, that's what my phone says.)

While we were past the peak color for aspens, an early stop in the trip helped satisfy my desire to find a few iconic Colorado aspens still dressed in their fall finery.

These were taken at Conejos Canyon. 

 A stay in Salida offered beautiful fall scenes along the Arkansas River. 

The water in the Arkansas River in Colorado seemed more plentiful than in Kansas. In fact, there have been lawsuits between the two states, with Kansas contending that Colorado took more than its "fair share." 

 All the rain that fell before our arrival in Colorado probably helped the river's flow as well. 

  We were there on the perfect fall afternoon.

Originally founded in the 1800s, Salida was a stagecoach stop and later became a stopover on the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Salida's downtown is on the National Register of Historic Places.  

 

We enjoyed the art galleries and the unique stores in downtown Salida.

Salida is a premier destination for trout fishing, with sections designated as "Gold Medal" water, meaning they are in the top 10 percent of all Colorado rivers for fish size and quantity. We saw a fisherman trying his luck. 

Randy got to eat his second meal of trout during our Colorado trip and watch the fisherman's progress at the same time. 

 

More from our trip the next time. 

Plans Off a Cliff? Mesa Verde

  

Best laid plans: They don't always come to fruition. 

Three years ago, we visited Mesa Verde during our retirement trip. As I wrote then, Randy has a fascination with Mesa Verde, likely fueled by his second grade teacher, Laurabel Simpson. Even though it's been nearly 60 years, Randy still remembers Mrs. Simpson telling his class about her trip to Mesa Verde. 

When we were there in 2022, he didn't get a chance to get a closer look at the cliff dwellings. So, for this trip, he had booked a guided tour. However, the government shutdown also shut down his chance. 

Nestled in the heart of Southwest Colorado, Mesa Verde National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site known for its ancient cliff dwellings, archaeological treasures and high-desert landscapes. Home to the Ancestral Puebloans for more than 700 years, the park offers a mix of cultural history and scenic beauty.  Established in 1906, Mesa Verde National Park was the first U.S. national park created to preserve cultural heritage. It protects nearly 5,000 archaeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings built by the Ancestral Puebloan people between 600 and 1300 CE. Unfortunately, those cliff dwellings were off limits during the government shutdown.

 

Randy was disappointed that he wouldn't get the up close and personal look. But we were thankful we were still able to stay at the Far View Lodge located inside Mesa Verde National Park. It's not run by the government; rather, it's operated by an independent company.  

 

Their restaurant was also open, though we were nearing the end of the season for both the lodging and the food service. 

The Far View Lodge offered a sunset and sunrise view of Mesa Verde from our balcony. We got there soon enough to enjoy the view.

Far View Lodge is the only lodging within Mesa Verde National Park and sits on a high shoulder offering panoramic views and wildlife watching, according to their publicity materials. However, we didn't see any wildlife. The lodge has 150 rooms.

 

I read my book and drank coffee on the balcony while we waited for sunset, snuggling up in the blanket during a chilly afternoon. There was no television service at the hotel, but who needs that when you have a view, a book and a balcony?

 

 

 

I probably see more spectacular sunrises and sunsets from my Kansas farm home. But it's not every day that you get to see those two bookends to a day at a National Park. 

 

 

This was taken outside the restaurant while we waited for our table.

 Randy had made reservations in advance at the Metate Room. 

 

We knew it would likely be our most expensive meal on the trip, but it was delicious. 

 

We had the blue corn tortillas and prickly pear margaritas for our appetizer. 

 

I chose the Three Sisters Soup, a harvest soup made with corn, squash, and beans, a Native American staple. I wanted something native to the area. 

My entree was the salmon.

Randy chose the trout, which, I admit, was a more authentic Colorado choice. Both were delicious.

Did we need dessert after that? No, but we ordered churros filled with apple filling and accompanied by ice cream anyway.

 

 

I set the alarm so that we could witness sunrise the next day. 

As we arrived and as we left, we took time to stop at several of the overlooks. 

A traveler in 1892 described a trail on the ridge as the Crinkly Edge Trail. In 1911, the trail became the Knife Edge Road, a new section of the main park road. Two years later, the park built a bypass through Morefield and Prater Canyons. When the first automobile trip was made in 1914, vehicles used the bypass and the Knife Edge Road was soon closed. 

We made the trek on Park Point Trail. The sign said it was a "steep, but short trail." It didn't seem so short. But we made it to Park Point, the highest point in Mesa Verde at 8,572 feet. On a clear day, four states are supposed to be visible from the point - Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah. There was also a fire tower there, which is usually staffed during the summer season to watch out for fires. 

The broad Mancos Valley separates Mesa Verde from the mountains to the northeast. These ranges, part of the Rocky Mountains, were uplifted beginning approximately 65 million years ago. Time and water removed rock and sediment between the valley and the nearby mountains. This isolated Mesa Verde and created the steep cliffs and the valley. 

Will Randy ever get his cliff dwellings tour? We'll just have to see. Still, we enjoyed our overnight stay in Mesa Verde.