GUNNISON (Day 19 - part 2)

The patterns on the canyon walls are were created over a billion years ago when molten rock was squeezed (intruded) into fractures and joints in the existing rock, then cooled and hardened.

It was a bit of a longer walk to the Painted Wall overlook, so I quickly did this one myself.

At 2,300 feet, Painted Wall is the highest cliff in Colorado.

The lovely Sunset Point...

And our last stop, High Point.

To read about my previous trip including a hike to the bottom of the canyon, visit my Wild West trip #3

It was time to make our way back out of the park.

Some of the tour bus crowds we'd managed to avoid

Before committing to the long drive home, we grabbed a bit to eat at a charming place in Montrose.

Even though burgers were their big thing, they did had plenty of other non-meat choices.

The 290-mile drive back would take us up Highway 50 to Delta, along Highway 92 to Hotchkiss, up Highway 133 to Glenwood Springs, and finally Interstate 70 over the Rocky Mountains.

A traincar coal loader

The town of Somerset was established 1896 after geologists found coal deposits. For over a century, the tiny community was defined by the coal heaps, railroad tracks and underground mines. But tighter regulations, environmental lawsuits, cheaper natural gas and a mine fire in 2012 have put an end to this way of life here. Oxbow Mining has already taken steps to permanently close its Elk Creek Mine... removing conveyors, coal and rail loaders,and maintenance buildings. The population, which peaked at about 700 during World War I, has fallen to about 90 people, many of them retirees and part-time residents.

The Paonia Reservoir

While these little stones are hardly lethal, rockfalls can be quite dangerous.

Approaching McClure Pass (elevation 8,755 feet)

A gorgeous view of the Elk Mountains

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