Go West VIII - The Kissing Couple

The Kissing Couple, Colorado National Monument, Colorado
© Doug Hickok  All Rights Reserved


Being lowlanders from coastal South Carolina, Becky and I were easily awed by the vertical scale of Western landscapes. To my delight, they are perfect fits for the vertical photographic format, which I often favor when composing images.

This post shows the 300 foot high monolith called "The Kissing Couple", named for a slight separation in the stone, making it appear that two figures are entwined in a constant craggy kiss. The valley below is Monument Canyon, and in the distance, directly above the kissing rocks, you can see "Window Rock". In the far distance is Grand Valley, a lush fruit farming area where the Colorado River meanders through.

Eons of erosion have created a treasure trove of rock formations in this park. The hard, coarse sandstone cap rock weathers more slowly than the softer, finer layers below creating easily recognized shapes, like "Balanced Rock", "Dogs Tooth" and "Mushroom Rock".

I searched long and hard for Shaggy Yak Back Ridge,
but alas could not find it.