Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument - June, 1996

In the early summer of 1996, I was relocating from Albany, New York, to sunny San Diego, California. This meant a nice, long, 3000-mile trip across country with my numerous cats. Given the cats, I could not stop and sightsee all that much along the way. I did, however, visit the Colorado National Monument.

The Monument consists of a scenic drive (since it has been a while since I did this drive I don't remember exactly how long the drive is). It took me about an hour or so to complete, however, so my best guess is somewhere around 15 miles. Generally speaking, and those that know me can attest to this, it doesn't take me that long to drive 15 miles. Which means I stopped quite a bit and took some pictures.

Which you are seeing here.

The Monument is located near the city of Grand Junction, Colorado, which is the largest city in Western Colorado, and about 25-30 miles from the Utah border.

I seem to recall entering the Monument to the east of Grand Junction and exiting on the west side. I didn't see much of Grand Junction itself.

The Monument consists of many wind-swept hills and cliffs. Some monoliths, such as those found at Monument Valley, have also been created over time. The place reminded me of the Badlands in South Dakota. Not as many colors, though. It was, however, a barren and desolate place.