Highway 92, which starts at the dam for Blue Mesa reservoir, is the short cut from the Gunnison area to that area, and it is now a paved road. Sure, it goes through some back country, but it's a fine road. Just take it slow; the drop-offs down into the Black Canyon are rather steep.
Your alternative, the long way, is to continue on Hwy 50 all the way into Montrose, then back up to Delta and on to Hotchkiss, where you'd head for Crawford. Even if you crawled along Hwy 92, it'd still be faster than going the long way.
Of course, I'm assuming that you're planning this for warm season, not wintertime.
:)
Lynn
