Museum of the Mountain West & Black Canyon

There were some storms predicted today, so we decided to stay pretty close to the campground.  We had read rave reviews about the Museum of the Mountain West, and they were correct!  This a restored/rebuilt western town, which was built mainly by one man, Richard Fike.  He is an archaeologist who has been collecting artifacts his whole life.

He has created an authentic western town, which is packed with items.  He has moved and rebuilt buildings and stocked them with items from the past.  He does use other docents, but we were lucky to have him as our guide.  We spent a fascinating three hours at his "town".

After lunch, we drove just a few miles to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  The canyon is so named since the walls are so steep that not much light gets to the river below.  Some of the canyon walls are almost 3,000 feet tall.  We pulled off at some of the overlooks and took pictures, but there was a storm moving in, so we didn't stay long.

Drug store

Some of the rooms are accessible
from an inside hall and other buildings are stand-alone outside.

Grocery store

Doctor's office

Butch Cassidy's saddle and chaps

Dress store

Dentist's office

Inside the general store

Richard Fike at the hotel bar

Train depot

Storm clouds on our way up to Black Canyon

Gunnison River at the bottom of the canyon

Looking almost straight down

Storms moving in

"Painted Wall"

Storm clouds