23-26 May: These were travel days, flying back to Colorado via Lima, Panama City, and Los Angeles, then repacking to get back in camping mode, and driving to western Colorado to our next camping destination, Colorado National Monument.
27May: Lowry, Kyle, and Corwyn camped with us over Memorial Day weekend. At nine months old, this was Corwyn’s first camping trip, and she adapted well, having a great time discovering new sights, sounds, textures, tastes, and toys. While “Mimi” and “Grampy Juniper” watched Corwyn, Lowry had a chance to show Kyle the spectacular scenery by bike. Paul’s new nickname alludes to Corwyn’s observation that the texture of the branches of Utah juniper is similar to the texture of his beard—she would alternately feel one then the other. Colorado National Monument features a series of rugged canyons cut into the edge of a high plateau, with a scenic drive along the rim and several hiking trails. Along the Alcove nature trail, we put Corwyn down in the shade of an alcove to play a while in the fine pink sand. She didn’t want to be put back into her carrier to resume our walk for at least a half an hour. The Entrada sandstone formation was prominent here, with cross-bedded layers of frequently changing angles indicating its history as sand dunes bordering an ancient sea. This was the first of many different sedimentary rock formations we would be hiking through in the next couple of weeks, each deposited in a different geologic era.
28 May: We hiked into Monument Canyon, with its views of tall sedimentary spires with names such as Independence Monument and the Kissing Couple. After finding a shady spot for lunch, we hiked back out.
