Scott went for a seventeen mile bike ride along the park road up to Warner Point around seven am.

The kids were so adorable sleeping I did my best to try not to wake them.  Brooke was so determined to complete her Junior Ranger book as much as possible that she actually begged to go on a one mile hike from our campground to the Visitor’s Center.

Brooke ran for the first ten minutes of our hike.  Then we bumped into a group of twenty people that we couldn’t easily scoot past.  Brooke spotted bear foot prints and deer footprints.  She also spotted the only number along our hike. Our family lucky number of 3.  Scott has used it as his hockey number quite a bit and claims he had it as his lucky number before I did, but it was my lucky number first because it is the day I was born on. :-)

We found Cody and Scott waiting for us at the visitor’s center at our favorite picnic table.  The kids then met Ranger Mike and pledged to be good Junior Rangers.  Ranger Mike actually slipped in a line asking the kids to be nice to their brother or sister.  In true Brooke fashion, she started to pull down her hand and said, “I don’t promise to do that!”  Somehow she still got a Junior Ranger badge out of Ranger Mike.

Next we headed out on a 1.5 miles hike to Warner Point. While the hike was only a mile and a half the elevation up and down definitely had us taking in some extra breaths.

We picked up a pamphlet explaining the numbers along the trail and the kids were scrambling quickly along the path to find each number.  Brooke’s legs are a little longer than Cody’s so as you can imagine she reached most of the numbers before Cody could even see them.  However, the walk back for Brooke was a little taxing.  We learned that all of the proteins needed by the human body can be found in the Pinyon Pine nut.  One pound of pinyon nuts is equal to 2,880 calories, the same as a pound of chocolate.  Healthy proteins versus chocolate.  Hmm… That isn’t too tough of a choice.

We also learned that Juniper Tree bark has been used to make rope, sandals, and other clothing.

Right at the end of the hike we ran into a family from Kansas who warned us about a snake crossing right in front of us. The rangers said the snake is either a gopher or a bull snake.  The rangers said someone  in our campground had seen the same type of snake in their campsite last night.  They recorded the snake on video and also the weasel that came out of the bushes and ate the snake. The extended family that warned us about the snake was in town to celebrate the mom’s ninety-first birthday.  She was wearing the most adorable hat that she found at a Hospice resale shop she volunteers at.  Scott assures me I could make it easily. He makes me smile. The Kansas family gave us some recommendations on places to camp and visit in Kansas.

Scott caught a picture of a gentleman who said, “He had never been on a sheer drop before.”  He watched as the guy climbed to the edge and leaned over.  Scott told him, “Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times.”  Just looking at the picture makes my stomach drop.

Painted Wall, Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP

This is Painted Wall, the highest cliff in Colorado.  If the Empire State Building was placed on the canyon floor it would only reach about half way up the canyon wall.

The little stone hut on the river-left bank is the intake for the 6 mile canal that was dug through the side of the canyon to supply water to the surrounding towns for irrigation.

Before we left Black Canyon of the Gunnison we headed down from 8,320 feet to 6,547 feet to the East Portal Road to view the Gunnison Diversion Dam and have lunch.  Brooke wanted to know all the details as to the tunnels location.  The tunnel was created to ensure the farmlands in the area had irrigation water for their crops.  While Scott cooked up a lunch of brats and baked beans, Brooke studied the signs explaining the tunnel, and Cody stayed in the car playing with Legos.  We tried to explain to him that it was too hot to play in the car, but he wasn’t hearing it.

While Scott cleaned up from lunch Brooke cleaned up the van, even the floor.

Blue Mesa Damn

The next stop was Curecanti National Recreation Area.  We stopped at the Visitor’s Center and scooped up some Junior Ranger books.  There are three dams that comprise the Curecanti National Recreation Area in the canyons of the Gunnison River: Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoir.  Curecanti was named after the Ute Indian Chief Curicata who roamed and hunted in Colorado. We visited Blue Mesa dam.  It is earth-filled and has a very gradual slope on the lake side - making it about 1/4 mile thick at the base.  The ranger told us that the process of selecting stone for an earth-filled damn is very meticulous.

We went canoeing from 5-6pm on the Soap Creek Arm of the Blue Mesa Lake.

While on our canoe ride we sang “Row, Row, Your Boat” in rounds.  After we did a few rounds Brooke said, “That was fun!”

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Scott combed his hair and then left it in what he calls his “Fonz” style.  It was funny just to look at him.

Scott trying to remove a stuck splitting wedge. He finally got it out but it took a while…

We stayed at Dry Gulch Campground where Scott cooked up burgers and potatoes over the fire.  He let the kids play with the fire for well over an hour.  They loved it!

After the kids were banned from the campfire because they got too wild they played with transformers.  I was glad I convinced Scott to put the fly on this night.  A storm blew in around 8:30 and didn’t let up all night.