A New-Comer's Eye View

I'm new to Grand Junction. When traveling, one of the first things I do when I enter a town is get my bearings. I walk. I step out my front door and I walk the street in front. Then I go around the block. I gradually make longer arcs until I know very well where I am. In this way, I also get a feel for the local culture and people.

So I decided to greet Grand Junction the same way. The fact that Junction was not built with walkers in mind doesn't daunt me. That in itself tells me a story. When walking around a city or town, I like to see what people are doing, how they go about their day. Grand Junction, it seems, was built with the car in mind. It's streets are mostly laid out in square grids. Sidewalks line most of the streets, but very few people walk along them for pleasure. Students scurry about the campus but other than that it seems the sidewalks are only used by those who have no other means of transportation.

In search of a place to walk where I didn't have to deal with traffic noise and exhaust and where I could find a little nature, I stumbled upon Connected Lakes Park on the western edge of town. Its winding path is lined with giant cottonwood trees and follows along the river. I meet other walkers here but it's never crowded. People go there for the quiet and solitude so one can sit quietly by the lake or on the edge of a field to observe wildlife and be assured that others will respect that. It has a very restful feeling about it. Its winding tree-lined path is in sharp contrast to the angular and barren city.