We went back to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison this morning because we wanted to see the overlooks in morning light. It is amazing how different they look! Our first stop was the Painted Wall.
Along the walk out to see the Painted Wall there were several wind-blown junipers. I love the twisted trunk on this tree!
We continued to Cedar Point and this tiny lizard was the only wildlife we saw today!
At Dragon Point the ravine widens out and we had better views of the water below. We could “see” how the shapes on the painted wall resemble two dragons. Impressive massive cliff that is visible from both the south and the north sides of the canyon.
This is the impressive view of the river winding its way through the canyon.
At the end of the road we turned around at High Point. We didn’t hike out to Warner Point, but I enjoyed the signs at the start of the trail! They were good reminders for everyone!
I made the girls walk out to the Chasm View. The chasm is a little over 1800 feet down to the water level. The Gunnison River has its biggest drops going through this area of the canyon plunging at the rate of 240 feet/mile. This is also the narrowest point of the canyon at rim level. It is only 1100 feet across the canyon to the Chasm View overlook in the South Rim Section of the park.
We were thankful for the guardrails at the overlook!
We also walked out to the Devil’s Lookout. I think the park service marks all the trails in yards because most people can’t figure out how far the distances really are! (607 yards is about 1/3 mile).
The trail descends almost a hundred feet over its total length as it winds through gamble oak, sage and other shrubs.
One aspect of the Devil's Overlook trail is that from the overlook you can look almost straight down to the Gunnison River over 1800 feet below. We wondered how many phones and cameras might be lost over the edge of the overlook!
We stopped back at the Visitor’s Center to find out about the East Portal Road and were glad we did. (I almost vetoed the drive before we did!) The road is extremely steep with 16% grades and hairpin curves as it drops 2000 feet to the bottom of the canyon. 
It was an amazing drive down and awesome to be able to stand at the bottom of the canyon!
At the bottom we were able to see the Gunnison Diversion Dam. Beginning in 1894, surveys revealed locations for both ends of a tunnel (in the canyon and the valley), with the intent of meeting in the middle. A road was scraped into the canyon slopes, descending to the river, and the town of East Portal (also known as River Portal) was born.
Although the tunnel was dedicated in 1909, much work remained. A diversion dam, concrete lining of the tunnel, and finishing the ditch system were not completed until 1922. The history around the construction is interesting and would take volumes to do it justice!
We made another short stop at the bottom to walk down and feel the water – it was COLD!
I also got a “puppy fix” while we were there! This family had two golden retrievers and they were so sweet – and wet – from swimming in the river. The one I was petting was not happy I stopped!
It was getting close to 1:30, so with “wet dog” smell on our hands, we headed back to Montrose for lunch. Yep, we washed well before eating. 
Ouray, Colorado was our afternoon destination. Carolyn visited a friend who lives there while Kathryn and I went to the Ouray Hot Springs pool. The facility is quite large and it is run by the city. 
I walked in the hot pool for exercise!
We enjoyed the warm pools and relaxed for a couple hours before it was time to pick up Carolyn.
We were back to Montrose before 7pm so we are settled for the night. Tomorrow we plan to drive the San Juan Skyway so it will be a long – but beautiful – day!
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