After exploring the Black Canyon of the Gunnison we drove back to Grand Junction because just a few miles west of it on the I-70 is the Colorado National Monument. Unfortunately the weather was clouding over and the light was not the best — there are some great views of the erosion of the side of the Uncompaghre plateau.

This photo shows a formation called the 'coke ovens' named after their similarity to old style blast furnaces.This photo shows the 'independence' fin. The fin is the remnant of a thin rock wall that originally extended from the far left to the far right. If you look closely you can see rain falling in the top right of the picture -- right over Grand Junction!This panorama shows the 'independence' fin from another point of view and shows the broad valley cut by the Colorado river running east (right) to west (left) from Grand Juction.(Note: Since the day was quite grey, I have cheated at bit with some image processing to enhance the dynamic range and sharpness of this shot).

 

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison 2001
Arches National Park 2001