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!