So I admit, it has been a while since I last updated this blog. Hopefully I haven’t lost any readers because of it. My summer was busier than I could have imagined, with a two hour commute on a day that began at 9:00 AM and ended at 11:00 PM. But that’s more than you needed to know. I did keep reading over the summer, but my chief project was Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows and I vowed not to review it here, because I didn’t want anyone who hadn’t read it yet to miss any surprises thanks to my writing. Perhaps in a year or so, it will be safe to do so. Though truthfully, those who would read it don’t need my review to persuade them of it, and those who won’t read it aren’t likely to be persuaded otherwise.
Today’s review is non-literary, but one I had to share. I spent the day exploring Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and had a thoroughly enjoyable and awe-inspiring experience. I’m a huge fan of the National Parks, and I’m always impressed by the diversity of people I meet there. The fact that so few of them speak English reveals to me that these parks are one of our greatest treasures, and a huge part of what makes the US unique. I could write a separate review on quite a few parks, and I may yet do that, but for today, I have to recommend this little known treat.
Montrose, CO doesn’t seem to be towered over by anything all too imposing. The gently sloping foothills it borders hardly look like anything in comparison with the jagged peaks to the south of it. Thus, I was completely surprised when less than a half hour’s drive out of the city took me to an overlook that left me transfixed at the sight of it. The Gunnison River’s canyon through those sloping mountains is anything but gentle. Sheer dropoffs into a jagged canyon are breathtaking, to say the least. Even though August is the height of the season for these parks, I was often left alone or with only those in my party for company as I dared to near the edge of certain overlooks. The relative privacy of a mostly undiscovered park was another of its draws.
There is little more I can say about this, so I will leave you with a picture. Hopefully, you’ll have a chance to discover it for yourself. Find out more at http://www.nps.gov .
