Colorado National Monument

Visited: May 2014

Nearby city: Grand Junction, CO

"I came here last year and found these canyons, and they feel like the heart of the world to me. I'm going to stay and build trails and promote this place, because it should be a national park."

-John Otto, trailbuilder and explorer, 1907

Just off I-70 at Grand Junction, CO is a beautiful high desert plateau full of incredible views of red rock canyons and pinion-juniper forests. This wonderland has been preserved as a National Monument since 1911, and there have been a number of efforts to "upgrade" the region to a National Park. Maybe some day in the future.

There's lots of hiking and camping opportunities at the Monument. If you don't have time for that, make sure you take the Rim Rock Drive. This 23-mile scenic drive is the main attraction of the park. It has a plethora of overlooks and you can see all the highlights and incredible rock formations along the road. If you find yourself in this area of western Colorado, make sure you take this detour to experience this beautiful area.

We entered the park at the East (or Grand Junction) Entrance. The road quickly climbs to the top of the plateau. Our first stop was Red Canyon Overlook.

Continue on the road, you'll pass the highest point on the Rim Rock Drive (6,640 ft). Our next stop was Fallen Rock Overlook. Here, a large chunk of rock separated from the canyon wall and came to rest in a partially collapsed state.

Our next stop was the Coke Canyons Overlook. The mountains here take on the appearance of a beehive coke oven.

Next up is Grand View, from here you can see rock formations such as Kissing Couple and the triumphant Independence Monument. If you only have time for one overlook, make it this one.

Independence Monument has a romantic history. John Otto, the "founder" and first Park Ranger of Colorado National Monument, married Boston artist Beatrice Farnham in June 1911 at the base of Independence Monument in a highly publicized ceremony. The marriage did not last long. Beatrice left John after only a few weeks, commenting "I tried hard to live his way, but I could not do it. I could not live with a man to whom even a cabin was an encumbrance." The canyon is named Wedding Canyon, and to this day many couples arrange to exchange their vows here.

The prominent formation at the extreme left is known as Kissing Couple. It's hard to see from this angle, but the formation separates into two columns that connect together again at the top.

The rock formation in the center of the photo is Independence Monument

Our final stop was Book Cliffs View. This is where you will find the Visitor Center, the main campgrounds, and the Window Rock Trail and Book Cliffs formation.

Notice me on the upper left, behind me are the Book Cliffs

Window Rock

Independence Monument from Book Cliffs View, in the foreground is Sentinel Spire

Book Cliffs

Overlooking the small town of Fruita

Colorado National Monument is a wonderful park to visit, even if you only have a couple of hours for a detour. The Rim Rock Drive is a spectacular scenic drive that is well worth it. For more info, check out: https://www.nps.gov/colm/index.htm

Pompeys Pillar National Monument

Visited: June 2013

Nearby city: Billings, MT

Sometimes I wish I was alive during the Age of Exploration. To have been on that forefront, forging into the great unknown, would have been so thrilling and exciting. I think there is an innate desire in each of us: a longing to explore, to learn, to discover. The horizon beckons us, and we answer. Scratching that wanderlust itch never fully satisfies (there is always more to see), but the journey and the adventure is worth it. It breeds tolerance, engenders empathy, and builds character. Travel is both exhilarating and exhausting but ultimately rewarding. I'm sure I'm romanticizing the experience of exploration centuries ago, seeing the world via our comforts of modern vacationing and travel is pleasure enough. But still, I would give just about anything to have been a member of Lewis and Clark's Corps of Discovery, that virgin voyage into the great American West.

The Expedition of Meriwether Lewis and William Clark is one of the great events of American history. In 1803, the Jefferson administration purchased an immense tract of land from France, the Louisiana Territory. At 828,000 square miles, the acquisition more than doubled the size of the young nation. There was so much that was unknown about this vast territory, so Jefferson commissioned Lewis and Clark to lead an expedition (known as the Corps of Discovery) to traverse the continent, establish an American presence in the new territory, study the area's flora and fauna, geography, and initiate trade with the Indians.

On May 14, 1804 the band of rugged adventures departed St. Louis to head out to the Pacific Ocean. They would not return until September 23, 1806. The maps, observations, journals, and knowledge gained was incredibly useful, and the expedition was a great success.

On the return trip, Lewis and Clark separated as they went east across present-day Montana. Lewis took the northerly route along the Missouri River (returning the same way they came) while Clark took the southerly route along the Yellowstone River. Clark's division was joined by the group's invaluable Shoshone guide, Sacagawea. One of the members of the Discovery Corps, a French fur trader named Toussiant Charbonneau, married Sacagawea and bore a son during the expedition, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau. Clark nicknamed the child "Pomp" or "Pompey." As the expedition traveled along the Yellowstone River, the group passed by a large rocky outcropping along the southern bank of the river. Clark named the 150 ft tall formation after Sacagawea's son, "Pompys Tower" which eventually came to be referred to as "Pompey's Pillar" (I guess they liked the alliteration better).

The area was designated as a National Monument in 2001, however it is not an official unit of the NPS, it is managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). The site is just off I-94, only about 25 miles northeast of Billings, and is well worth a quick visit. There is a great museum, pleasant trails around the pillar and the Yellowstone River, and the highlight is the signature of William Clark himself, carved into the sandstone.

The monument has an excellent museum, with great interactive exhibits and lots of information about Native American life and the Lewis & Clark Expedition.

Tara fits right in.

The pillar has lots of petroglyphs and signatures of explorers and traders who passed by. Clark's signature is protected behind a glass case. The inscription reads "W. Clark July 25, 1806." Clark's carving is the only remaining physical evidence found along the route of the entire expedition.

We took a stroll around the area. It was very nice. This is a good place to rest on a road trip, take about 30 minutes to an hour to visit.

Doing my best impression of William Clark

Dugout canoes like this would be very similar to the ones the Corps of Discovery used to navigate the rivers

Yellowstone River

Pompey's Pillar is one of the few BLM sites that is easily accessible and is well worth a visit if you're in the area. More info here: https://www.blm.gov/visit/pompeys-pillar-national-monument