This weekend was a bike extravaganza! Jordan and I hopped over the Colorado boarder to ride the fun, flowy mountain bike trails around Fruita. The next day, we biked around the wineries and orchards of Palisade.
At first glance, the area around Grand Junction seems like a bland, utilitarian cow town. Typically when I go to the Junc, it's to stock up on Colorado beer or catch a flight. But the more time I spend in the area, the more I appreciate Junction. It's right next to Colorado National Monument and the Book Cliffs. It has a handful of snazzy restaurants and breweries in its revitalized downtown. There's a couple nice museums (animatronic dinosaurs, anyone?) and a pretty botanical garden. I was already leaning towards becoming a Junction fan, and these last couple days totally sealed the deal. Grand Junction is neat -- I'm officially converted!
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| PBR (Pumps, Bumps, and Rollers) |
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| collared lizard |
On our first day out, we rode the mountain bike trails just outside Fruita. Fruita trails sometimes get overshadowed by Moab, but they're starting to get attention as some of the best single-track mountain bike trails in the United States. (Seriously!) We camped and road in the 18 Road / Book Cliffs area, which is fun and flowy. I rode the Kessel Run, Prime Cut, PBR, and Joe's Ridge. I've never ridden on soft volcanic soil like this, and it was a nice change from Moab's rocky steps.
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| Joe's Ridge |
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| Free campground in the middle of all the trails. |
The next day, we drove 24 miles east of Fruita to the town of Palisade. Palisade is home to some of Colorado's best vineyards. Family farms, hot summers, and volcanic soil combine to produce some bold, tasty wines. The area is beautiful, too -- rows of grapes and peaches are surrounded by the imposing grey Book Cliffs. We rode our bikes to a couple wineries, a meadery, and a distillery. Most of them were open for tasting, so by the end of the trip, we were feeling goooood!
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