January 7, 2015 Sunrise and the Moon over The National Monument

Moon at Sunrise ~ Colorado National Monument
January 7, 2015

Views to the west with Moon still shining over the Monument

And views to the East as the sun is starting to show its colors

The sun raises from the east turning the clay of the 
National Monument a bright Pink 

Still seeing the moon

I love the shots in B&W also

After the sun had risen and the pink had faded, I turned back toward Grand Junction and passed other wonderful desert formations and walking paths. 

This one reminds me of a bears claw

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Then I came upon a walking and biking trail in the Redlands 
~The Tabegauche~

'The Tabeguache (pronounced tab-a-watch) goes through public and private land for 142 miles connecting Montrose and Grand Junction, Colorado."

'The trail begins in Shavano Valley and weaves through the canyons, mesas, and highlands of the Uncompahgre Plateau before ending in No Thoroughfare Canyon, a few miles west of Grand Junction.  The trail is marked by brown fiberglass posts approximately every mile, and at all intersections.'

http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/recreation/tabeguache_trail.html

The Lunch Loop

The Lunch Loops Trail System is in Grand Junction between Monument Road and Little Park Road. This trail system consists primarily of trails rated "more difficult" to "very difficult". Adjacencies to the Colorado National Monument and Bangs Canyon allow the Lunch Loops Trail System to provide spectacular views on challenging terrain. The trails are open to mountain biking, hiking, and equestrian only, and receive high use from both mountain bikers and trail runners, and dogs are a frequent occurence in the area. - See more at: http://www.visitgrandjunction.com/andys-loop-trail-lunch-loop-trail-system#sthash.yc1ByD3o.dpuf

View from the parking lot

I made sure to stay on the
snow and rocks

Steep incline 

The Next day, John and I drove to the hiking trail. I took a hike for approximately 1 1/3 mile and John hiked about 4 miles.  Below are photos that I took during my walk.  As the sun got warmer, the ground clay turned very slippery and we had to make sure to walk on rocks, snow or ice. I was a little more difficult that I had expected.

John returning from his hike

I loved this formation that I could see from the top of the above
mentioned peek before I carefully make my way down.

http://www.blm.gov/co/st/en/fo/ufo/recreation/tabeguache_trail.html