It was a long drive from Colorado Springs to Silverton (probably seven or eight hours). We stopped at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park for a break. The kids were beat from the long car ride and just wanted to get to Silverton, so they didn’t seem to appreciate this awesome place.

It was striking. The canyon was steep and very narrow. The rocks were sharp, angular spires that dramatically plunged into the narrow gorge. You could catch short glimpses of the Gunnison River which looked so small. We didn’t have much time to spend here, just an hour or so to stretch our legs. Pat and I wished we could have hiked down into the canyon, but had to be satisfied with going to a few overlooks and to the Visitors Center.

At one overlook, Pat thought he may have seen a peregrine falcon, but he wasn’t sure. A ranger overhead us and confirmed that peregrines are often seen here. She went on to say they were starting out on a search mission for a missing hiker. We could easily understand how someone could get lost down there -- the canyon seemed endless and unforgiving.