Colorado National Monument

Most people think that all of Colorado looks like the Rocky Mountains, with tall peaks and green forests. Grand Junction in western Colorado has a desert climate, with lower mountains. For illustration, I will show a red rock formation called Colorado National Monument just south of Grand Junction. In this picture, you can see the red rocks of Colorado National Monument (elevation 4700 to 7000 feet), the valley of Grand Junction (elevation 4600 feet), and a blue flat topped mountain in the background called Grand Mesa (elevation 10,000 feet).

A 500 foot layer of red Wingate sandstone accumulated, then it was capped with a tougher 100 foot layer of Kayenta sandstone. These layers experienced uplift, and then erosion. If the Kayenta is still intact, there is little erosion at the top and vertical cliffs are formed. If the Kayenta cap is worn away, then rounded formations, like these "coke ovens" can form.

This is the money shot in this park. The large formation standing alone in the center of the picture is Independence Rock, nicely framed by the surrounding canyon. Looking around and beyond Independence Rock, you can see vast green fields in the "Grand Valley" of Grand Junction. Grand Junction diverts water from the Colorado River through a system of ditches to water grass and trees and crops. Otherwise, it would be a desert. In the background, you can see the Bookcliffs, a badlands of dust and clay along the northern border of Grand Junction.

So, this is where I live now. There is a hike scheduled next week on top of Grand Mesa, and I will try to post pictures from that. That's all for now.