Colorado’s Grand Valley
The last destination on our vacation itinerary was the Grand Valley, a high desert region with a perfect climate for growing fruit. It’s known as Colorado’s Wine Country. I admit I wasn’t even aware that there were wineries in Colorado. But since the Grand Valley was right on the way to our next home base, it was the perfect opportunity to see what people are calling “the new Sonoma.”
About 20 miles past the Utah-Colorado border, at the small town of Fruita, was the entrance to Colorado National Monument (also known as “the mini-Grand Canyon"). We drove along scenic Rim Rock Drive, which has steep switchbacks to the top of the mesa, follows the windy edge of the canyon, and then zig-zags back down to the canyon floor. We weren’t in the mood for any hiking, but we did stop at the lookout points to admire the sandstone monuments. While the canyons were not as spectacular as the national parks we had just visited in Utah, they were quite beautiful and unusual. Fun fact: Colorado National Monument exists largely due to the efforts of one determined man named John Otto. He lived in the area, built trails, led tours, and lobbied tirelessly for it to become a national park.
Just outside the park was the small city of Grand Junction, where the Colorado River meets the Gunnison River. We stopped in downtown GJ and walked along Main Street. Many shops offered gear for hunting, fishing, camping, and biking. There was plenty of public art along Main Street; we especially enjoyed Art on the Corner, showcasing sculptures by local artists. Fun fact: Grand Junction became a prosperous city during the 1970’s energy crisis thanks to an oil shale boom, but was hit hard by the Black Sunday oil shale bust in 1982.
We left Grand Junction and drove past Grand Mesa (the world’s largest flat-topped mountain) to the town of Palisade. Our hotel was a picturesque inn at a vineyard, in the shadow of the Book Cliffs.
The next day we returned to Grand Junction for lunch with new friends, Barbara and Frank. Then, in Palisade, we put the car’s top down and drove the Fruit & Wine Byway, a scenic route lined with peach orchards and vineyards. After the drive, we enjoyed a complimentary wine tasting at Grande River and had a nice chat with the daughter of the couple who own both the hotel and the vineyard. We ended the day with an outstanding seafood meal at the hotel restaurant, Caroline’s. It was too early in the season to taste fresh Palisade peaches, so I settled for delicious peach sangria. Fun fact: There are more than 30 wineries in Palisade.
After such an active, adventure-filled week, it was nice to relax and enjoy perfect weather, good food and wine, and beautiful scenery in Colorado’s Wine Country.
