Dominguez Canyon

One of my favorite reasons for living in Western Colorado
is that you can take a short drive away from home and
be in the middle of a desert wilderness. We took a short
half hour drive today south of Grand Junction and found
ourselves in Dominguez Canyon. In 1776, Spanish Franciscan
missionary Silvestre Velez de Escalante traveled through
this area in search of an easy route between Santa Fe
and California. Much earlier, dinosaurs roamed the area
and several large remains have been found. The Gunnison
River (pictured) also flows through the area and provides
a steady flow of water through an otherwise very dry area.


On our way back to the highway, we encountered this very
long and powerful Union Pacific coal train. The conductor
matched our honk with his own horn and a friendly wave.
It's next stop...not sure, but it was definitely traveling
through Grand Junction...only about 20 miles north.