In Colorado, the cities, towns, foothills, and mountains east of the Continental Divide in the Rocky Mountains spanning north to south are referred to as the Front Range. The Western Slope covers the mountains, towns, and more desert-like landscape west of the divide. An artist friend recently moved to the Western Slope and invited me to visit. A destination for a road trip!
My friend lives in an area of the state that I hadn’t visited before. It’s just south of Grand Mesa, a huge, long plateau over 11,000 ft. Wikipedia calls it the largest flat-topped mountain in the world! Years ago, my second husband and I camped and hiked on the mesa for five days. It was the site of the story we often told about the beans that wouldn’t cook. We boiled them every night for hours at that high altitude to make chili, and finally ate them crunchy the last night.
Rather than drive over the mesa, where the roads are winding, steep, and were still snowy in mid-April, I drove west on the interstate highway, turning south at Grand Junction. The city is named for the confluence of the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. Although I had passed it en route to elsewhere countless times, I had never gone into town. The temperature was nearing 80F; I changed my shoes to sandals and shed my jacket. My first stop was an art gallery to see the Monuments and Canyons show, reflective of the area’s scenery, where a couple of friends exhibited paintings.
I met another friend, a resident in Junction, as it’s called, for lunch. When I parked downtown, I had trouble getting the parking meter to take my credit card. Three people were passing by, so I asked them if they knew how this worked. A young man reached into his pocket and dropped a few coins in the meter! The locals are kind.
There are over one hundred sculptures throughout the downtown area. I only saw a fraction of them along Main Street. Many of these have a story to tell, but I didn’t stay long enough to learn them, except for a few that had plaques.
A few notable Grand Junction residents
Street scenes
More to come…
Western Slope road trip: Grand Junction sculpture, Dominguez Canyon, Fruitgrowers Reservoir, Western Slope towns, Colorado National Monument
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Ruth Rosenfeld 
Wow, there’s quite a wide variety of sculptures! I really like the apple (or what’s left of it 😉) and the murals are all so beautiful. I can only imagine how much fun it must be to walk around here with a camera!
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It was quite impressive and fun to explore… I didn’t know about the sculptures before I came. The apple made me laugh!
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I love towns and cities with large displays of public art. It shows a real pride of place. Thanks for sharing Ruth. Allan
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The town’s sponsorship of public art does show an investment in the community. Thank you, Allan.
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I loved them all, from the very first to the very last !
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Thank you, Rudi! I appreciate your visit.
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I’m so glad that you stopped in our neck of the woods for a visit. You have such an eye for capturing the essence of an area. So impressive. I really enjoyed our visit. It was great seeing you, my friend.
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Thank you, Carol! I’m glad we were able to connect. And glad you’re enjoying life and doing well there. Take care.
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Real good. Any town that has a lot of outdoor sculptures and murals definitely is my kind of place.
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Thanks, Neil. I didn’t know about the sculptures before I went.. it was a delightful surprise.
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I could live happily in this town.
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I loved the celebration of arts and the warmer climate. Although the politics of the area are a bit too right-wing for me (Boebert country).
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I’d volunteer for the county Democratic Party.
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👍
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Visiting these outdoor art installations is a great way to enjoy fresh air and culture at the same time. Thanks for sharing and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx
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I agree. And leaving my area which was still pretty much in winter for the warm was so welcome. Thanks for coming along, Aiva!
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Looks like there a big art scene here. It’s neat that there are so many art sculptures and wall murals scattered around the downtown area.
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The emphasis on arts was a welcome surprise to me. It made the area welcoming and seemed so creative.
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Such a quirky town, I love the wide variety of the sculptures and many that are fun because they’re so unexpected, like the gorillas. Funny story about the beans that wouldn’t cook. Oh the joys of cooking at altitude 😊 Maggie
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I did especially enjoy the quirky sculptures – the gorillas, the apple core, the woman pushing against a building. It was fun to explore.
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I actually thought she was about to get frisked, pushing the building is much better.
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😄
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I really like the look of this town! All those varied sculptures and colourful street art. Of the former the gorillas are my favourite, and of the latter I was especially drawn to the geisha-like woman 😀
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I agree about the lovely geisha mural, and also the indigenous (probably Hopi) dancers. The gorillas made me laugh, as did the apple core. I also liked Trumbo writing in his bathtub, apparently inspired by a photo of him doing so.
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For all our years living in Colorado I was surprised we happened on “Junction” only recently, on a return driving trip from California. The heart of downtown is off the beaten path so I can see why travelers overlook it. Unexpectedly, our overnight hotel was right downtown. We enjoyed breakfast at a local coffee shop the next morning and walked around a bit before we had to hit the road again. There’s more to this somewhat dusty town than meets the eye, including all of the art.
My favorite piece: the simple twisted iron branches suspending the large rock, outside the Robin’s Nest antique shop. Looks like a nose!
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It does look like a nose! 😄 It’s good to see a community invest in art.
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I loved visiting Grand Junction about 10 years ago. We went two years in a row when my husband was leading field trips in Geology in neighboring Moab and surrounds. Thank you for the memory, Ruth!
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How interesting – the field trips in the fascinating Moab area. An excellent place to study geology! Thanks for your comment, Kerry.
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You are most welcome, Ruth. One of the pluses of being a geology spouse…😁
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I love it when public spaces offer art and inspiration. What a lovely town!
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It’s so good to see a town sponsor arts in public areas. This is a great example!
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I’ve heard of sculpture hunting in some cities which are known for its sculptures, but I’ve never really done so myself during my travels– but it must’ve been a lot of fun running all over town in Grand Junction to see them all! Definitely a change of pace and activity compared to the hikes in nature and the beauty surrounding it!
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It was fun to explore, but I only walked the downtown Main Street district. I’m sure you could spend a lot of time searching for others around the city!
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I remember some of those sculptures, but certainly not that many! We were there in June, so super boiling hot, and it was during COVID, so the downtown was open, but largely deserted. It was kinda depressing actually. I’m hoping and guessing it has been revived now.
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I wouldn’t want to spend time there in the summer heat! It was almost 80 the day I was there in mid-April. It seemed to be a vibrant, active downtown these ddays.
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These images are outstanding!
I like all of them very much🌹🌹🌹
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Thanks so much, Luisa!
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You’re most welcome, Ruth ❣️
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What an incredibly charming and characterful place. I love touring a town or city and crossing off the sculptures and statues. I was wondering what a statue of Trumbo was doing in the city and was curious to read that he went to school there. Later, his first book ‘Eclipse’ was an obvious portrayal of the town and and its people, and not always flattering! As such, it created quite the controversy locally. I’m glad to see they haven’t held it against him and that his history is honoured there. Love the guy paying for your metre, how kind.
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I’m sure Trumbo was reviled back in the day when he published Eclipse, but he’s now revered as a colorful figure from their past. Thanks for your comments, Leighton!
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