Moving North

I've worked my way slowly into Colorado. A big dog-friendly Cabella's store in Grand Junction was a diversion and then we spent a couple of hours walking around downtown Delta, Colorado, where my grandmother was raised. Ready for a shower, laundry, and wifi, I stopped at the KOA in Montrose. The next morning, I got up early and we headed to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. 

The altitude was already starting to get to me and then we approached these 2,000 foot cliffs, looking down to the fast-moving Gunnison River below. It was spectacular! 

There were quite a few short dog-friendly hikes so we explored the entire South Rim. 

The drive north through the town of Gunnison was gorgeous and I stopped for the night in Salida where I found a camping site right on the river.  I was feeling dizzy and short of breath from the altitude but the sound of the fast-moving water all night was great.

The next day, after Hannah ran around for about an hour with a new friend, I drove slowly north through Buena Vista, Twin Lakes, and into Leadville, stopping for views and historic monuments.

Views from Leadville 

Great to see my friend from Redding who now
works at Colorado Mountain College

Although I'm loving the beauty and altitude, I'm feeling a little guilty about traveling as Covid cases are on the rise so I'm planning my route to stay out of highly populated areas, headed to Wyoming. 
The last night in Colorado was near Walden at Cowdrey Lake State Park, a free, dispersed site which I shared with a few fishing families and friendly mosquitoes.