Black Canyon of the Gunnison

Despite living 32 years of my adult life in Colorado I had never been to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, which is now a National Park. Brian had been there before and had memories of his shaking knees while looking down the sheer 2000 foot cliffs. The Black Canyon is named for its steepness, which makes it difficult for sunlight to penetrate very far down the canyon. As a result, the canyon walls are most often in shadow, causing the rocky walls to appear black.

Unfortunately there is no way that I can capture the feeling of looking down these sheer cliffs with my camera - I guess it's something that just has to be experienced.

We drove both the north and south rim with stops along the way. The narrow canyon walls dropping down to the Gunnison River are almost vertical and induce a bit of vertigo while carefully peeking over the edge. In the picture to the right the river can just barely be seen far below.