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Day 61 - Curecanti

The drive along the north rim of Black Canyon towards Curecanti, the national recreation area just north along the Gunnison River, was spectacular. The irrigated farms, the dirt roads, the canyon rock in the foreground, the San Juan mountains in the background-- all made for a lovely drive. 


The main sight at Curecanti is called The Curecanti Needle, a 700 foot spire rising out of the river (now dammed so lake).  I stopped at the viewpoint to get a view from above and saw a dozen peregrine falcons circling the canyon below. Then I hiked down a few miles to the bottom along a lovey trail following a cascading  waterfall. 




A further drive along the scenic roadway was highlighted by a large dam and lake called Blue Mesa. A view across the lake at some spires was lovely. After a bit of scenic driving, I decided to push on east toward the south rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison. I planned to spend only an hour quickly touring the viewpoints, but ended up spending all afternoon and night there. 




 

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