Colorado National Monument

An Interesting Interstate?!!

Breakfast is the same as yesterday. OK for the food I want, poor execution and delivery by the hotel. I check out and leave my bags with the hotel whilst I retrieve my car from the Dairy Block Self-Park Garage. Back at the hotel, I load up my bags and set off.

I have a long drive this morning before the afternoon’s main event. It’s not quite my last Interstate drive but if it was, the first part today would be acceptable. An Interstate, interesting? Well, yes actually. Soon after getting out of Denver, I-70 W winds through the base of passes in the Rocky Mountains in spectacular scenery. However there are a lot of road works that makes the driving a tad difficult. I’ve had two cars nearly rear-end me on this trip so far when they’ve had to brake suddenly when traffic backed up in road works.

The views are of snow-topped mountains nearby with tree-lined slopes rising majestically all around. It is a magnificent sight. I can’t think of a better section of Interstate anywhere. Not that it has much to beat but even so it was a great sight. Just excellent views when driving.

A point to be borne in mind in this territory is the altitude. Denver is the ‘mile high’ city and I’ve climbed higher so far today. About 55 miles west of Denver I pass through the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnel at 11,158 feet — the highest point on the U.S. Interstate system. Further on more road works hinder progress as I get to another high point, the Vail Pass Summit at 10,662 feet.

Glenwood Canyon

70 miles or so after Vail Pass I approach Glenwood Canyon. How they built an Interstate through this is unbelievable. It’s named the Grand Army of the Republic Highway and is in the White River National Forest.

The rock cliffs just rise and rise while the Colorado River sedately flows on the valley floor and the road clings to the mountain-sides. There a few tunnels where they obviously couldn’t go around the outside of the cliffs. It’s just stunning scenery, a great drive in its own way. Apparently there’s even a train track in there as well!

After passing out of the Canyon, not a lot happens but at least it’s not dead flat and boringly straight. The Colorado River tracks I-70 for the rest of the day. So an interesting Interstate. Who’d have guessed it?

Colorado National Monument

Colorado National Monument entrance sign

Inevitably the road gets a bit boring again as the mountains flatten down and disappear. I arrive at Fruita at 2 pm. Clear blue skies have heralded 80º F / 27º C heat. There is a Subway here where I stop for lunch, leaving again at 2.30 pm to drive into the Colorado National Monument National Park.

America The Beautiful National Parks pass

I discovered pre-trip that the America the Beautiful — the National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass that I bought for last year’s trip is valid until the end of month in the following year that you bought it in. I bought it in September 2024. This year’s road trip is earlier than I normally do a trip because of the 49ers home schedule. I usually end up getting home in early to mid-October but this year the trip is wholly in September. The consequence being I can use last year’s Pass to gain entry to all the Parks I’m visiting this year. Result!!!

Colorado National Monument leaflet

At the park entrance station, the Ranger must have just finished his shift, with no replacement to take over. He’s standing outside his booth and it is all locked up. I show him my Pass from a distance and he just says “You’re good to go.” He never looked at it closely – it could have been out of date. I find out later at the next Park that a Ranger doing his job properly should actually scan the card to check it’s valid. I ask for a park map. “I’m all locked up. Get one at the Visitor Center” is his reply. Thanks for nothing…

Scenic Rim Rock Drive

It’s a few degrees cooler than Fruita but still warm. The road through the National Monument is Rim Rock Drive and it’s 23 miles long, following the upper rim of the canyon. The Saddlehorn Visitor Center is just up the road and I stop to pick up a map.

Over the next two hours or so I see some spectacular rock formations and canyons formed over millions of years. Such as the Independence Monument and Coke Ovens. There are numerous turn-outs and scenic viewpoints at which to stop.

Monument Canyon View panorama

It is breathtaking what nature has created here, truly fantastic and stunning. The road is very quiet with hardly any traffic. At most of my stops I’m often the only visitor there. There is little more to say other than look at the photos and marvel at the beauty of the place. The Colorado National Monument is an amazing National Park. Visit before you die!

Grand Junction For The Night

After my last stop at Cold Shivers Point Overlook, Rimrock Road starts to descend towards Grand Junction, home for the night. I fill up with gas on the outskirts of town. Maps guides me to the Fairfield Inn & Suites Grand Junction Downtown.

Again it’s a good hotel. I haven’t had any major issues so far on the trip, apart from prices have increased again. Even the quirkiness of the Prairie Inn’s rooms was OK. I did have gripes about The Oxford Hotel in Denver, mainly about how expensive it was given its niggles. But these days I find I’m making decisions more on convenience and location rather than cheapest price. Or maybe I always have?

There are usually super-expensive 5* hotels in most places I stay, but I still avoid those. As expensive as the Oxford was, there were even more expensive places in downtown Denver.

There’s a parking lot behind the hotel here for the princely sum of £11. “I really don’t know why they bother to charge for it,” says the receptionist on check-in. I agree.

Goat and Clover Tavern

I leave the hotel around 7.30 pm to walk up the street to the Goat and Clover Tavern. It promotes itself as a kind of British/Irish pub. Not the reason for my choice, more the fact that it was the nearest decent bar to the hotel. The rest were mostly just pure restaurants.

However they obviously don’t realise Great Britain and Ireland are two very separate and different countries these days. If you want to adopt an identity as a pub, you need to be British or Irish. Not some bastard halfway house.

Anyway, it’s very quiet inside. There are some brave souls sitting outside as I arrive but there’s a bit of chill in the air, so not for me. The barman decides to ignore me for a few minutes after I sit at the bar, continuing to chat to some other customers at the other end of the bar.

He eventually walks over. He is minimal in his attitude towards everything and it seems like he’s going to be hard work this evening. The IPA beer I sample is good – Off Belay IPA from the Palisade Brewing Company – so that’s all right. However in trying to order food all I can get out of the barman is “everything is huge.” Oh Lord, not again… Anything that I reckon might be smaller, I don’t fancy tonight.

Sirloin Sliders To Eat

I settle on Three Sirloin Sliders. “Those are a bit smaller than the rest” the barman belatedly advises. I watch baseball on TV. The Sliders arrive and are good, albeit with too much bread for the buns. With the bar being practically empty, the barman has nothing to do. He does ask me if the food is OK, do I want another beer, but there is no interest from him in striking up a more meaningful conversation, nor with any of the other (few) customers sitting at the bar.

One guy comments to him about the baseball jersey he’s wearing. I can’t recall his exact reply when I wrote this up, but I do remember his attitude making me think he’s just so full of himself and up his own arse that he’s not interested in making his customers’ evening any better. I decide he’s a twat. The bar closes at 10 pm and the rest of the staff are working towards that goal, so I decide to leave.

The town is bereft of people on Main Street as I walk the few 100 yards back to the Fairfield. A bit of diary before lights out on a busy, and in the afternoon, amazing day on the road and at the Colorado National Monument.