Just south of Grand Junction lies Colorado National Monument. Never heard of it? You’re not alone. A few years ago, residents declined the opportunity to convert it to a national park. The reason? It would spoil this quiet, pristine area with traffic and tourists.

Also, the name is a misnomer as I thought it would be a single, man-made monument like the Washington Monument in DC. Instead, it is an area of red rocks, canyons and the Colorado River Valley.

And unspoiled it is. We drove the 23-mile Rim Rock Drive from the east entrance (just south of Grand Junction) to Fruita, where we hooked back on to I-70. The late afternoon sun glimmered on the rocks creating spectacular scenery. Since there was no traffic on the two-lane road, it only took 45-60 minutes out of trip. Highlights included the Coke Ovens, Balanced Rock and Independence Monument – all formed by erosion with views of Book Cliffs on the horizon. (more…)