Colorado and more of Utah

 October 16, 2026

In all of our visits to the Grand Junction, Colorado area, we had never driven up into this national forest.  We made the scenic drive and enjoyed the fall colors.  I am glad we did it because a few days later, there was more than 6 inches of snow up there.

We strolled around downtown Grand Junction before heading up into Colorado National Monument, one of our favorite places to visit.

It was drizzly on our visit, but we drove the Rim Rock Drive and stopped at some of the overlooks.  Colorado National Monument was one of our "training grounds" where we hiked many miles below the rim to prepare ourselves for the 2010 Rim-to-River hike at Grand Canyon.  This time, standing on the rim looking down into the canyons, brought back good memories.

We paid our respects to "Mike, the Headless Chicken" in downtown Fruita, CO

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_the_Headless_Chicken

Then we headed back into Utah.  On a beautiful sunny day, we entertained ourselves at Goblin Valley State Park.  

Wilson Arch

La Sal Mountains were glistening with fresh snow