Palisade, CO: Colorado National Monument

 Well, "hay" there, minions!  We're coming at ya from Palisade, in the Grand Valley of Western Colorado.

Palisade is part of the Palisade/Grand Junction/Fruita trifecta of quintessential Colorado cities, with wide open views, outdoor recreation galore, and more wineries that you can shake a grape at:  more than a quarter of the state's wineries are here! 

The landscape here is littered with darling little fruit stands, this being a peachy place for peach orchards.  

The Palisade Basecamp campground is hard not to like, given its natural setting, as well as its convenient location.  

Next door, a marijuana dispensary.  That's right, the "Happy Camper" dispensary is next door to a campground!  That's pure marketing gold, regardless of how you feel about marijuana!

Next door to the other side, Colterris Vineyards, one of the nicest wineries in town, offers tasting flights of 100% locally-produced wines amongst the vines. 

Perhaps this winery was a little too wonderful, as I don't remember much of the 2nd half of the day. 

Above: 2020, Palisade, Colorado. Below: 2018, Monteforialle, Italy.

Apparently "the hills are alive" after heavy wine tasting, no matter where I am, amiright Julie Andrews?

One night, Colterris hosted a live concert with an Eagles tribute band.  We had the best seat in the house ... at our RV!  We could hear the music easily with the winery being right next door.  

 

Our primary reason for the stay in Palisade was to see the gorgeous nearby Colorado National Monument.

The Rim Rock Drive is 33 twisty, turny miles with multiple pullouts and scenic viewpoints.  

Colorado literally means "colored red," and you're immediately reminded of that seeing the red-rock monoliths and canyons.

Though there are some hiking trails throughout, it is certainly the kind of place where you can enjoy a "windshield tour" and not even have to feel guilty about it.

Many hardy souls take on Rim Rock Drive, a trophy ride for roadies, on two wheels.  This is not for the faint of heart, or the out of shape ... you'll be going up and down huge elevation changes throughout!

Popular viewpoints include Independence Monument, the largest free-standing rock formation in the park at 450 feet high.

The Coke Ovens, named for their resemblance to the man-made structures used to produce clean-burning fuel from coal of the same name (not the ubiquitous drug of the 70's), are very unusual formations.

The roads in Colorado National Monument resemble this trip so far ... many unexpected twists and turns (Covid closures, snow in September, wildfire smoke rerouting the entire last month of the trip), but around every new bend ... unexpected delights!

Up next: heading into Utah for the final three weeks of this trip! Expect many other natural treasures ahead, including Capitol Reef National Park, Goblin Valley State Park, Grand Escalante National Monument, and so much more!  Thanks for touring along!

Canon City, CO: High Times and Mountain Vines (Days 38-40 of 42)

Our last Colorado destination, Canon City, had us dangling highhhh over the Arkansas River, sipping wine on the grounds of a Catholic abbey, and going to prison.  (Not really = a prison museum.  Gotcha!)  Also, the Lucky Charm had her first-ever rendezvous with roadside assistance ... it had to happen eventually!

A goodbye toast for our final stop in beautiful Colorado

The Royal Gorge Bridge is one of the world's highest suspension bridges, hanging high over the Arkansas River.  Built in 1929 for $350,000, the cost today would exceed $20 million.

The flags of all the states adorn the bridge's 1,270-foot span.

You can walk across, or catch a ride.

The Royal Rush Skycoaster is a free-fall tower that sweeps you 1,200 feet above the river below at 50 MPH:  no wonder it was named the world's scariest skycoaster.

The aerial gondolas glide 2,300 feet across the Royal Gorge on one of the longest single-span cables in the world ...

See the tiny red specks in that huge canyon?  Those are the gondolas!

...  while the ziplines are also one of the world's highest.

The zippers (on the right) are even higher than the gondolas (middle center).

All those heights made us need a drink, so we headed to the grounds of the historic Holy Cross Abbey.  As far back as 1924, the Benedictine Fathers were bottling wine, presumably for their own usage.  The modern-day winery located here has returned to that early heritage, though no Sisters or Monks will be serving you.

In the last 6 years, the winery has won over 100 awards for their 14 different varieties.

With advance notice and a valid credit card, they will happily lay out a beautiful spread and provide you with your very own wine hostess, which we desperately needed because we know absolutely nothing about wine.

Back in town, the Colorado Prison Museum is housed within a real 1930's-era women's cell block, and is filled chock-full with lots of historical items.  You go into each of the 32 cells with their unique themes and related exhibits about famous prisoners, past wardens, historic riots and escapes, and "behavior control devices" including balls and chains, cattle prods, and a whipping horse known as the "Old Gray Mare."

It is right next to an active Colorado prison that is older than the state itself, opening as a Territorial Prison in 1871, that currently houses 800 men.

Actual gas chamber used in eight different executions, the last one in 1967.

Display of confiscated weapons, some of which were noted as having been used during in-prison murders.

Amazingly detailed chess set made out of toilet paper and water (considered contraband and taken away from the inmate who spent many long hours on its construction).

Our travels leaving Canon City were not without excitement, though not of the desirable variety, as the Lucky Charm blew a rear inside tire in the middle of Nowheresville, Colorado.  Although we had to wait a couple hours for assistance, the teeny-tiny general store-slash-coffeehouse-slash-art gallery across the street kept us amused for at least part of the wait.  Here, Philip creates beautiful music to soothe our troubles away.

The repairman swore he thought Philip was Bill Clinton (a common observation) and that I (with my hair up in a messy bun and wearing my square rimless glasses) was Sarah Palin.  Why he thought Bill Clinton and Sarah Palin would be RV'ing together, I am not quite sure.  But at any rate, he took photos with both of us to show the family back home.

Back on the road for the last two days of the 2015 Summer Adventure, we are already starting to plan our 2016 summer travels to the upper Northwest, including Canada's unbelievable Banff National Park and the Calgary Stampede, the "Mardi Gras of Rodeos," a.k.a. a week-long party!  The Lucky Charm cannot be kept down!