Hartman Rocks

Starting our morning with coffee and chai teas, we prepared for what the day had in store for us.  First on the agenda was Hartman Rocks, a hangout spot near Gunnison, Colorado. The drive up was a little too steep for me, but it was worth it.  The rock formations were beautiful, with varying texture from smooth to rugged.  The unique terrain seemingly stretched for miles.

We walked around the area for a little while, soaking in the heat of the day.  The sky was blue and littered with clouds, a nice change from the greyness of the day prior when hiking Crested Butte.

The three of us were constantly taking photos, making it feel like we were either part of a National Geographic crew, or art-school dropouts.  In all seriousness, check out Andy and Mike’s Instagram.  They got some great shots!

Before long, we were ready to set off for our major destination of the day, the Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park.  If you’ll remember from my original itinerary, I wanted to see the Grand Canyon in Arizona… All worked out , because I still got to see a canyon.

Black Canyon of Gunnison National Park

The drive from Hartman Rocks to the Black Canyon wasn’t incredibly far, but we had a quick detour to make.  A billboard advertised “The Perfect Burrito” along the side of the highway.  We needed it!  But alas, when we arrived at the address, we realized it had gone out of business.  Apparently it hadn’t been the perfect burrito.

We travelled on.

Prior to entering the Black Canyon, we saw some cows banging (cows are everywhere in Colorado) – perhaps a good omen.  Unfortunately, by the time we stopped to take a picture, the deed was done.  Alas.

I had no idea what to think of Black Canyon because we didn’t look up any pictures.  I was met by something quite incredible – a canyon that eroded at a steeper incline than the Grand Canyon, and continuing to get deeper as the river at the bottom slowly erodes the rock.

Black Canyon had many different lookouts, and I think we stopped at every one of them.  Andy particularly liked this view called “Painted Rock.”  I think it had to be my favorite spot, too.

We ended up doing a 1.5mile hike out and back, where we were promised by a passing hiker that “there’s snow cones at the end.”  Liar!  Call me gullible, but for whatever reason I believed him.

One of my favorite moments was sitting in the shade, sketching Mike and Andy as they looked down the Black Canyon walls.

I knew Colorado was beautiful, but I wasn’t expecting to see something like the Black Canyon.  I was blown away and humbled by the immensity of the park.

After many laughs, and then quiet contemplation, the three of us drove to Glenwood Springs where we would spend the following day.  The views continued to stun along the way.

Astrophotography Practice

We made it to Glenwood Springs in the dark and decided to try practicing astrophotography.  I’ve loved taking pictures of the stars ever since I was preparing for my trip to Iceland, even though I’m not really that great at it.  This was the first time I was able to shoot them with pretty mountains as a subject, too!