Grand Mesa

The view to the north of Delta is dominated by Grand mesa which rises some 6,000 feet above the valley floor. The top of the mesa is primarily basalt, created by a series of volcanoes that once graced the area to the east. The lave flowed west, and forked. This created a “Y” shaped top. There are several layers of rock under the basalt, and all of it sits on an ancient sea bed. That sea bed has been lifted up, and the water running off the hard basalt has eaten away at the old sea bed, creating a formation known as the Dobie Badlands. These barren hills are the home to all sorts of desert creatures, and a rather large population of motorcycles. They are pretty to look at, but the silence experienced during an early morning walk though them is almost overwhelming.