The next morning, we grabbed the camera and our bags and hit the road. We didn't run into much traffic given it was a major holiday weekend (4th of July) and we were in Palisade shortly after 11:00am. It's typically a 4 and a half hour-ish drive but when you have driven that route as much as we have, it's second nature. I think we quit using the GPS to go to Grand Junction about 500 trips ago. We got there shortly before lunch and decided, let's skip lunch and go straight to Palisade. We can get an early dinner at my favorite Mexican restaurant for an early dinner. One of my favorite things about Palisade is just how different it is from the Front Range. Palisade is dry and surrounded by red rocks, but the most delicious fruits and vegetables are grown here. We hit the scenic byway which is the wine tour route and stopped at a couple vineyards and you-pick farms, our goal of the trip.
Our first stop of the day was a You-Pick peach farm. Unfortunately, we forgot about the last big freeze we got in May (the same one that killed my basil in the garden!) That freeze hit the Western Slope just as much, pushing back the peach season. Instead of peaches being ready to be picked in July, they aren't going to be ready until mid August most likely. This put a slight damper on our plans as many of the farms on our list were in the same boat. But knowing us, we found things to do and had a blast doing so.
We started back on the scenic byway and stopped at my favorite vineyard first; Meadery of the Rockies. I am not a huge wine person (nor beer, nor alcohol in general) but if it taste like fruit and doesn't taste like alcohol, then I most likely will drink it. We did a tasting which was phenomenal. They give you a wide variety of wines to taste and will point you in the direction of wines to help accommodate your taste. They do tell you to start from the top of the list and work your way down because of the sweetness of the wines and I recommend doing so. My favorite ended up being the peach honey wine, one that my husband also enjoyed. Surprising because he is not much of a wine person. We ended up getting a bottle of this because it was their wine that was on sale and is always a favorite for me. My husband even drinks it occasionally!
We continued tasting some more wines and ultimately ended up buying a couple bottles. They also have a really nice gift shop where you can purchase a wide variety of items, even local honey! This will always be a stop on our map anytime we go to Grand Junction or Palisade. The staff are incredibly helpful and always there to help you when you have any questions. They have a lovely gazebo outside as well where you can sit in enjoy the weather and the views surrounding the property. Even in the down season when they don't have a lot of tourists, it's a must see place. I could go on and on about how great this winery is but you really just have to experience it for yourself in order to have the best experience.
Our next stop was a random one; proving just how the rest of the day was to be. We saw the cutest house with a sign that said U Pic Cots. It turned out to be this adorable elderly couple who let you pick apricots out of their yard for $1 a pound. That is incredibly cheap and I would much rather my money go to a cute little couple than a grocery store any day.
They set us up with ladders and let us roam free of their yard. I had literally just got my stitches out the day before so I had to be really careful at not using that finger or getting anything in it. We had fun picking fruit and taking photos.
After we finished picking our apricots, we took them to the steps where they would weigh or fruit on a fun vintage scale, one that was probably used by their parents when they were kids. The lady kept insisting that my husband take a bite of this one or that one, which was super adorable. They also had the nicest yard with the prettiest of flowers, probably what brings the bees to pollinate the trees giving the apricots the most amazing taste ever. Is there anything better than fresh picked fruit?
We went back to driving and came across another sign that made me smile, "You Pick Cherries". Well of course, we had to stop. This trip was all about picking our own fruit, even if the peaches weren't ripe yet. We pulled in and we were welcomed by a family who ran the farm. They gave us a bucket, showed us which area the ripest trees were, and then gave us permission to roam their entire farm. It was pretty warm out but picking cherries was incredibly fun. Of course, I had to try some as I was picking! It was so tasty! And these cherries made for some of the prettiest of pictures!
We picked a good bit, once again me being very careful not to get any cherry juice in my finger. That hand was solely meant to hold the bucket while I picked the cherries with my other hand. They had ladders that you can carry around and move to other trees if you couldn't reach. We both picked a bunch of cherries, wanting to make sure we had some to bring to our friends back home.
After you pick your cherries, you have two options at that point; just weigh them and leave or get them pitted and cleaned for you. I would have gladly had them pitted but I wanted to pit the cherries myself so I could experience it first hand from start to finish. I know, I'm strange but it did want to!
We watched the machine pit someone else's cherries which was really neat to see, but we weighed our cherries and went on our merry way to find more farms to stop at. We still had a busy day ahead of us! So far, we picked cherries and apricots and stopped at a vineyard and it's only been 2 hours!
Now, we did stop at another orchard, High Country Orchards, but I wasn't a big fan of this place only because they weren't the friendliest, and I don't like wines that are not sweet. However, I did love the set up of the farm and how pretty their land was. It was here where my husband almost got hit by a hawk flying between us! We heard this massive "swoosh" and then see a hawk fly between me and Ty, who are holding hands. It went RIGHT between us and went into the grape vines. We stood their and laughed because if it had gone just one inch to the left, he would have gotten hit in the face by a hawk. How funny! Either way, the vineyard made for some great photos even if we didn't stay long.
We got back in the car and headed further down the byway and saw a lavender farm. Not only was it organic, but it was a you pick farm as well. The smell of lavender was almost overwhelming with how large the farm was, but I have been turning to lavender to help me sleep more at night. Having cancer twice did nothing good for my sleep and actually gave me horrible insomnia. I have been diffusing lavender beside my bed at night as well as putting on lavender chamomile lotion. So, we had to stop at the lavender farm and see what was in their store as well. Everyone was super friendly, and I know when I need to make more bath bombs, I will be coming back to pick my own lavender to do so.
They had so many acres of fresh lavender, that you are free to go down the row and pick your own. They also have a farm that is just meant for photos, with chickens roaming around and plants everywhere. Even their gift shop was so neatly decorated that I found myself looking at everything. I left purchasing a rub on stick of lavender that I couldn't leave without. Knowing it was made on their farm and can hopefully help me sleep better, I had to. I rub it on my neck and wrists and let myself relax with the scent of lavender. They also have some green houses and sell plants as well! It's a must stop place if you are driving along the Palisade scenic byway.
After we left the farm, we stopped at a farm stand and picked up some local salsa as well as a bunch of peaches. While we couldn't pick peaches this time, we had to bring some back because if you are in Palisade, you can't leave without Palisade Peaches! They tasted AMAZING! Furthermore, it was getting to be dinner time so we headed back into Grand Junction to go and get some food. As I said, we stopped at my favorite Mexican restaurant, known for the most delicious shrimp tacos! After dinner, we dropped everything back off at the hotel and decided to go to Colorado National Monument, a park just outside of Grand Junction. We have been to this park once before but wanted to come and watch the sunset from the monument. Unfortunately, we did find out the day before that someone drove their car off of a cliff, falling to their death. I didn't know where the location of it happened but they said that the car remained below because it was a 500 ft plummet down. Tragic.
We drove to the monument, taking our time and enjoying the views. The nice thing about this time of year is the long days. Having the sunset well after 9pm leaves plenty of time to enjoy the park. The downfall is, this time of year it is still really hot. So this was more like a get out and take photos at the pull offs, and not so much hiking as it was still 95 degrees at 8pm. Ever since we left California, we can't handle the heat. I won't ever move back to California because of this. I love our nice 70's and 80's during the summer. But we did enjoy the drive and made the most of it regardless of the heat.
As we came around a corner, we noticed a bunch of brush looked like it had been run over, and as we turned the corner, our thoughts of this being where the car ran off was confirmed. The car was still below, a good 500+ feet down the cliff. You can see where it had trailed off and just went straight down. Being that both my husband and I are former park rangers with the National Park Service, we found out a little more about what happened. The older man had driven off and was alive when the search and rescue team actually made it down to him.
Unfortunately, he ended up dying before he could be extricated from his vehicle due to the injuries he sustained in the crash. I'll turn this into a PSA and say this; you need to drive slow at this monument as well as any national park or monument. We have been to over 200+ national parks and we come to visit, not speed through. If you are in a hurry, you probably shouldn't be visiting the park. There are tight corners and steep drop offs, sometimes on both sides of you. Whether there is more to the story than this, you have to be prepared; even for something as simple as wildlife crossing the road. You can read more about this story
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I mentioned earlier how the Western Slope is so much different than the Front Range. One of the most interesting is the landscape as well as the vegetation. You've got red rocks as well as desert plants. You have sand and trees. You can see a variety of wildlife. It's truly an experience. Some hikes are very difficult and some of them are easy, but any hike duration can become dangerous in that kind of heat. Be sure to bring water with you no matter what you are doing!
We finished the trip to the monument with a some photos taken at the visitor center overlook. It had long been closed for the day but it was so peaceful with only one other person there, watching the sunset. We struck up conversation with him about parks around the area and places he should go while there. We have only been in Colorado for 3 years but we have been just about everywhere and are often looked at for advice. I don't mind because as you know by now, I love to travel! Grand Junction, Palisade, and the entire Western Slope are always going to be a nice day trip for us when we just want to get away and I can't wait to go back for the apple festival as well. If you ever have the time, do visit for yourself. You won't be disappointed in your travels! (Except Powderhorn) I don't recommend Powderhorn for those who like to ski. If you are in that area and it is your only option, sure. But traveling out of town to ski wasn't fun for us as it just wasn't as nice as others we have done.
Check out these links for helpful information
Meadery of the Rockies
Sage Creations Organic Farm
High Country Orchards
Colorado National Monument
Home Grown Rugs (Alpaca Farm)
Also, if you are into hands on stuff, visit this lovely alpaca farm just outside of Grand Junction! I adore alpacas and love visiting farms. My friend who is an alpaca farmer sent us this amazing alpaca rug from this farm. You can get tours and get hands on fun with the alpaca. Maybe even a selfie??
