Colorado National Monument Revisited - May 1st to 2nd, 2024
We’ve been to Colorado National Monument before, during Season Two (Colorado National Monument - June 18th - 21st, 2020). But it is a good day’s drive from our house and makes a wonderful place to stop. Despite having been there several times before, we still discovered new wonderful things to see and do.
The first day of our main Season Six trip went pretty well. Hopefully, it is a good sign for the rest of the season. It is always nice to start off on the right foot.
Preparation and packing also went smoothly. We pulled Red Tail (our Winnebago EKKO) out of storage on Sunday afternoon and spent a leisurely time getting everything packed on Monday and Tuesday. It helped that some of the gear stayed in the rig and that our packing list was organized by location in the RV. Packing went pretty quickly, with most of the time spent double checking our list.
Of course, we didn’t have to dewinterize, since we did that for our eclipse trip (Total Solar Eclipse, Lake Whitney, Texas - April 8th, 2024) and didn’t winterize when we got back. The weather forecast didn’t call for freezing temperatures during the few weeks between the eclipse trip and the start of our main traveling season. However, the weather didn’t follow the forecast. We had a snow storm which left a couple of inches and the temperatures dipped below freezing. We checked on Red Tail a few days after the storm. We believe we lucked out and nothing froze. Just in case, our eyes will be looking for water leaks for the first few days of our trip.
As part of our preparations during Monday and Tuesday, we took care of some maintenance items. Keith sanitized the fresh water tank. Keith got up on the roof and added Dicor lap sealant to places that looked “iffy”. He also cleaned the air conditioner coils with HVAC coil cleaner. The windshield wipers were replaced. The replacement blades were 20 inches and 28 inches long. The original blades were 20 and 30 inches, but we couldn’t find 30 inch blades anywhere. Hopefully the 28 inch blade will work fine.
Ann repaired the Roof Bag (paid link). We traveled with the holy bag for our eclipse trip. Only the paddle board and accessories were on the roof this time and we thought a little water wouldn’t hurt the paddle board. That was a mistake. During our trip, there were heavy downpours. When we returned and unloaded the board, it was soaking wet. It took a day or two to dry everything out. We didn’t want to end up with a moldy paddle board, so we made sure to tape up all the holes this time. Since we aren’t bringing our backpacking gear like Season Five, the roof bag is only about half full. This allows the straps to be cinched tighter so that the buckles now rest on top of the rubber grommets. Hopefully, the buckles won’t cause any more holes. If they do, we can decide whether to just keep taping them up with Gorilla tape, or replace the roof bag.
Wednesday morning was the most relaxed we’ve ever been at the start of a trip. Other than spending five minutes looking for Keith’s prescription sunglasses, which were laying right out in the open near the front door, everything went according to plan. We were ready to leave ahead of schedule.
On our way out of town, we stopped for gas, Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, and weighed our rig at a Cat Scale. Ann didn’t clean the windshield at the gas station, because all of the squeegees were bone dry. She wasn’t planning on taking a lot of pictures on the road the first day anyway. We were pleased with Red Tail’s weight at the scale, 10,940 pounds. We were under our GVWR of 11,000 pounds! That was better than Season Five, where we were 100 pounds overweight. However, one of our propane tanks was down about ten pounds and we’re not sure how much water was in our fresh tank. Keith used the flow meter to fill the tank, measuring about 40 gallons of water, which should be about 80% full. However, the EKKO’s tank sensor only read 65%. We weren’t sure which measurement was correct. Even so, we traveling with well over 100 pounds less gear than the previous season. The reduction was from no backpacking gear, less clothing, less tools, and less back stock of food, especially canned food. Last season, we got in the habit of only buying what food we needed until the next shopping trip, which was usually in four to eight days. We actually started out the season this time with food for ten days worth of meals.
Our first destination of the trip was Colorado National Monument. To get there, we took I-70 through the Rocky Mountains. Normally we try to avoid the interstate. But I-70 is the most direct way from Denver to Grand Junction. And, it is the most scenic stretch of interstate you will find in the whole country. So we don’t mind driving that section of I-70, as long as we avoid ski season traffic, such as heading east into Denver on a Sunday evening in the winter. That is not fun.
The weather was decent during our drive. There was a mixture of sun, snow, and rain, but nothing heavy enough to prevent us from enjoying the wonderful scenery. There were still patches of snow in the higher elevations, creating a wonderful contrast between the dark green evergreen trees and the rocky cliffs. It was a perfect combination that really enhanced the view. Oh, and Ann lied. She took lots of pictures, despite all the bug spots on the windshield. She couldn’t help herself.
For lunch, we stopped in Avon. We were hoping to eat at Loaded Joe’s again, just like we did on our Utah trip (Nine Mile Canyon, Utah - March 11th to 12th, 2024). However, they were closed for the week. Instead, we went next door to Ein Prosit. Their menu is not as extensive nor quite as good as Loaded Joe’s, but we still enjoyed our reuben and weiss wurst.
We arrived at Colorado National Monument in the late afternoon. You have to drive through two tunnels to get to the Saddlehorn Campground inside the park. The tunnels are only 10’6” tall along the sides, but 16 feet in the center. Our Red Tail is 11’1” tall, but, as long as we hugged the center line, we had plenty of room to clear.
The campsites are nestled among the juniper bushes, with adequate spacing between sites. However, they are not very level. We managed to position Red Tail so that the right side was only 4 inches low. We could handle up to 4 inches with our Go Treads, perfect!
After setting up, we walked over to the rim out behind our camp site. From there, we had a wonderful view of the road we drove in on. Keith noticed a herd of big horn sheep down below us. There were even a few young ones with them. What a treat! Even though we were a good distance from them, they were keenly aware of our presence. A couple of them would keep glancing up at us, to make sure we were not going to try to scale down the steep cliff towards them.
Before dinner, we walked the Window View and Canyon Rim Trails to stretch our legs after driving for hours. From our camp site, it was less than two miles for the combination of the two trails. From the trails, there are wonderful views of Monument Canyon and Wedding Canyon. Every now and then, we would catch a glimpse of a lizard or ground squirrel scurrying away.
It was really windy in the evening. We set up our camp chairs among the bushes, next to the picnic table and fire ring. The bushes provided just enough protection from the brutal wind to make it comfortable to sit outside. It was a perfect ending to a perfect first day.
In past visits to Colorado National Monument, we extensively explored the Scenic Rim Drive and the hikes that start from the road. This time, we decided to hike below rim. The Monument Canyon Loop Trail starts at the Monument Canyon Trailhead, which is outside the main park, down a neighborhood street in Fruita. There is ample parking for about twenty cars at the trailhead. We arrived at 10 am and had no trouble finding a spot, but it was a weekday, during the shoulder season. The lot is rather rough, not level at all. We bounced so hard when we drove out of the lot that one of our apples “hopped” out of our hanging net bag.
The Monument Canyon Loop Trail follows the Monument Canyon to the base of Independence Monument, then returns via Wedding Canyon. This clockwise direction is the way we went, but AllTrails lists the loop going in the counter-clockwise direction, starting with the Wedding Canyon Trail. If we were to hike the trail again, we would go counter-clockwise. The Wedding Canyon Trail is narrower, rougher, and has several short steep sections with loose footing. The Monument Canyon Trail is wider, more rock than dirt, and has built-in steps through the steep sections, making the trail easier to negotiate. If you start with the Wedding Canyon Trail, you’ll be going up the steep sections instead of down them. We prefer climbing up steep sections instead of down, since we feel more stable that way. But we managed fine going down Wedding Canyon. Another option is to skip Wedding Canyon and just go out and back on Monument Canyon Trail.
The loop hike was lovely. There were interesting rock formations, lizards, quail, and blooming cacti along the trail. When we reached Independence Monument, we continued on Monument Canyon Trial past the Wedding Canyon Trail junction to the other side of Independence Monument. We sat on a rock, eating our snacks, and watching rock climbers up on the top of Independence Monument.
There was a group of about five climbers. It looked like there was a woman already on the very top, in a dress. One of the climbers was wearing a bridal veil. Was someone getting married up on top? It would be interesting to find out what the real story was.
Wedding Canyon got its name from the wedding of John Otto and Beatrice Farnham who were married at the base of Independence Monument in 1911. John Otto was the park caretaker from 1911, when it became a National Monument, to 1927. John was a big promoter of the area and built miles of canyon trails. Unfortunately, John and Beatrice’s marriage only lasted a few months.
We completed the 5.2 miles with an elevation gain of 804 feet in three hours and 45 minutes. It was hike number 11 of our 52 Hike Challenge for 2024.
After the hike, we drove over to Graff Dairy in Grand Junction for ice cream. A person on the EKKO Facebook group recommended it. They have high-quality soft serve that they will mix ingredients into. Keith got his usual vanilla shake while Ann opted for a medium waffle cone of chocolate soft serve. The medium was a lot of ice cream! We could only imagine what a large would look like. The Chicago dog on the menu caught Keith’s eye. He’s a big fan of Chicago dogs, so he had to order one. He enjoyed his dog more than the milkshake.
We had about an hour or two to kill before dinner. Our plan was to have some pizza at the Hot Tomato Cafe in Fruita. It was another recommendation from the EKKO Facebook group. So we hung out in the rest area at the Fruita Visitor Center. Ann wanted to work on the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta video some more. She was still trying to get through the four hours of video footage we took last fall at the Fiesta (Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta, New Mexico - October 7th to 14th, 2023).
The pizza was pretty tasty with a thin New York style crust, just the way we like it. Splitting a 14” pizza seemed to be the right amount of food for us. However, we were eyeing the salads that seemed to be a popular item. They looked pretty good. Hot Tomato Cafe also serves Zuberfizz, made by the Durango Soda Company. We enjoy craft soda and have had Zuberfizz before (From Grand Canyon Back to Denver - September 23 & 24, 2019).
After our delicious dinner, we strolled the couple of blocks of downtown Fruita. There were some cute shops, restaurants, bars, art sculptures, and murals. The area seemed to be quite popular and lively. It was nice to see adults and children alike enjoying the small downtown area. It gives the place a wonderful, active community feel.
Colorado National Monument was a quick stop, but a wonderful way to start off our Season Six travels. If the rest of the season goes as well, it should be a great time. We’re excited to see what the rest of our travels have in store for us.
Check out our related video: Colorado National Monument Revisited
(Ann)