Got up at the crack of dawn, packed a lunch, threw our hiking boots in the back of the Honda and headed for a day trip to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

The name even sounds rugged and ominous. Deep, ancient canyon with fantastic views from the rim of the Gunnison River tearing through at the bottom. A 16 % grade road leads down to the river so we could get a close up view of the river before it headed into the narrow canyon. There really wasn't much hiking to do, mostly gasping at the vistas from the overlooks on the rim road.