Atop The Grand Mesa

Okay, for your geology lesson.......The Grand Mesa is part of the Rocky Mountains, but was harder than the surrounding rock. Erosion of the softer rock around the mesa left this flat top mountain standing 5,000 feet above the surrounding valleys. It is the world's largest mesa with an area of over 500 square miles. The mesa is covered in forest, grasslands, more than 300 lakes, and it is a sportsman's paradise.

The mesa is cooler than the surrounding countryside because it ranges in altitude from just under 10,000 feet to just over 11,300 feet. It gets both more snow in the winter and more rain in the summer as well. This makes it a popular destination in the winter for outdoorsmen and hunters, and a cool and relaxing spot during the hot months of summer.

We recently drove the mesa with a friend and I submit to you the following pictures.

From up on the mesa the sky is beautiful and clear.


There are plentiful lakes (and swampy areas and mosquitoes too).


Endless wild flowers.


The occasional waterfall (the tree is actual near me, the waterfall is about a half mile away giving a deceptive appearance, the waterfall is actually quite tall).


Tricky roads.


And ferocious animals (they'll steal a candy bar right out of your hand).


To keep this summer in perspective you should see our cottage.
We left our fifth wheel travel trailer in Mesa, Arizona, and we are using the Lance camper that we used on our Alaska trip of two summers ago. Good thing the weather is such that we can spend most of our time outdoors.