With the San Juan Mountains standing out to the south, and Black Canyon just up the road, Montrose, a farming community of some 12,000 souls that spreads from the heart of the fertile Uncompahgre Valley, makes a good base for exploring the region. The town itself has an appealing, still-in-business business district, and a historical museum housed in the old railroad depot, and the US-50 frontage has plenty of motels and places to eat, especially east of downtown. Sicily’s (970/240-9199) at 1135 E. Main Street, has good Italian food served up (in summer . . .) on the terrace. The place to stay, for fans of old roadside Americana, has to be the 1930s-era Log Cabin Motel ($40 and up; 970/249-7610), across the street at 1034 E. Main Street, which is exactly what it sounds like.
Eight miles east of Montrose, Hwy-347 turns off north toward the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
