We left Montrose, Colorado at 8:00 in the morning with the goal of traveling to Grand Mesa National Forest and then Black Canyon National Park before heading to our RV in Colorado City, Colorado. Before we left Montrose, we stopped at Sonic Burger for breakfast and then went to Walmart for snacks.

We drove to the Grand Mesa National Forest which is about 90 minutes in the direction opposite that we would be traveilng to get back to our RV in Colorado City. It turned out to be well worth the drive. The mesa is gorgeous and covered with Aspen. In the fall, this has to be one of the most beautiful places on the planet. So much Aspen and the colors in the fall must be awesome. We found snowmobiling and cross-country skiing areas at the top. Large meadows covered in snow and open to the public. This extra drive was well work the effort taken.

When we left Grand Mesa National Forest, we drove to Black Canyon National Park that is located east of Montrose by about ten miles. We did not know what to expect, but it turned out to be spectacular. We could only go in as far as the Visitors Center (which was closed), but that gave us a really good view of the deep gorges that form the canyon. It is like the Grand Canyon, but not as deep or wide. It is definitely worth seeing. It is referred to as "Black Canyon of the Gunnison" river. You don't get the National Park designation if you don't have something to show people. The park was recommended by several people we met.

After we left Black Canyon, we began the long drive back to Pueblo, Colorado. We, basically, followed the Gunnison River and we also drove the length of Blue Mesa Reservoir which is quite huge and pretty. The route followed several beautiful valleys and canyons along the Gunnison River. We also crossed several high passes traversed by Highway 50. I think that this is the same Highway 50 that goes through Sacramento and Nevada. The drive became quite long and as we entered Pueblo, we drove into a pretty major thunderstorm. Heavy rain and some hail to contend with. As we drove out of Pueblo to the south, we drove out of the storm. There were several colorful rainbows to be seen along the drive. Once we arrived back at the RV, we began the prep to leave the next morning for Wellington, Colorado (near Fort Collins).