Exploring Western Colorado

This weekend, I spontaneously decided to go camping with some friends who were running a race in Gunnison, CO. Driving to Gunnison proved to be an adventure in itself as we took a detour to drive through Paonia, CO and ended up driving the Scenic Byway on Highway 92 through the Black Canyon of the Gunnison.

We pulled into Stevens Creek Campground just as the sun was going down, and decided to camp just off Highway 50 on the shore of Blue Mesa Reservoir for the night. People are right when they say Gunnison is the coldest place in CO, and I was definitely kicking myself for not bringing a heavier sleeping bag.

I awoke lakeside to a beautiful view and warm sunshine, and I enjoyed a morning of sipping hot coffee and reading Tom Robbins, "Another Roadside Attraction" while my friends drove into Gunnison for their race.

That afternoon we decided to move camp to the North Rim of the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, which we had heard was spectacular and worth the trip; however, we somehow missed the turn and found ourselves in Paonia, CO. After deciding not to backtrack to find the right turnoff for the North Rim, we headed into the hills for some wine tasting. 

We stumbled upon Stone Cottage Cellars Winery, and boy did that place charm our socks off! The tasting room is a beautiful stone cottage (go figure) that the owner built, and the wine is absolutely delicious. We spent a bit of time exploring the winery and taking more photos than the paparazzi before buying a bottle of chardonnay and hitting the road - yet again! 

The owner of the winery told us about Paonia State Park Campground, and we headed that way for the evening. After finding the perfect camping spot right on the creek we settled in for the night and shared a bottle of delicious Colorado wine. 

Cheers to finding adventure daily!

The Mighty Juan

"The river is the soul of the desert." - Ed Abbey

It's become a tradition to raft the lower section of the San Juan river (from Mexican Hat to Clay Hills) each Spring, and if I'm completely honest it's definitely one of my favorite traditions. The red canyon walls, blue skies and sunshine are a welcome escape from Colorado's bipolar Spring weather.

This year we had a pretty exciting start to the trip with THREE unexpected swimmers before we even finished our first mile! My sister, Kennady and her boyfriend Eric came along for the adventure, and an adventure it was. I borrowed a duckie (inflatable kayak) for Kennady and Eric to raft the river in; they started the trip looking a little rough and uncoordinated, and things got exciting when they flipped their duckie in the very first rapid. Luckily, all of their gear was strapped down with the exception of a Nalgene. In a rush attempt to save the runaway Nalgene Justin's dad, Terry fell out of his boat, too!

We laughed - a lot - and decided the exciting beginning was a sign that this year's trip was going to be a good one! And it didn't disappoint. It was the perfect weeklong getaway filled with an abundance of blooming flowers, a brief appearance from a family of Bighorn Sheep and surprisingly few bugs.

The river was flowing higher this year than it had been during any of our previous trips, which allowed for more land-time. I enjoyed exploring the Honaker Trail, Grand Gulch, John's Canyon, Slickhorn and more. I have always been fascinated with the desert, and never miss an opportunity to explore the desert from a raft.

I'm already looking forward to next year! The San Juan feels a little bit more like home every time I raft it.