ITINERARIES & MORE GRAND GETAWAY Using Grand Junction as your home base, take your daytime explorations farther afield in surrounding towns to unpack all the Western Slope has to offer. MORNING: If there’s a better way to kick off a day of cycling than a Breakfast Burrito from Cafe Sol in Downtown Grand Junction, we haven’t found it. This morning feast of potatoes, scrambled eggs, and green chilies wrapped in a flour tortilla, with ham, bacon, or sausage will get you ready to roll. And that’s welcome news, because Grand Junction’s iconic Lunch Loops offers thrilling mountain biking trails amid the dips and ridges of the vast desert near Colorado National Monument. Loops, 2 to 28 miles long, range from moderate to difficult. creative as the artist. Their daily house-made dough is topped with only the freshest ingredients that includes locally sourced products. While the entire menu is mouthwatering, go straight for the seasonal pie creations which are designed by locals. After your meal, take a picturesque float trip through wine country to Corn Lake State Park. Palisade River Trips offers guided trips and self-guided rentals. You’ll work up a thirst out there on the water, so your next stop is the Highlands Distillery’s tasting room for sips of your favorite spirits — with emphasis on expert infusions made with local flavors, including lavender infusions from Belli Fiori Lavender Farms . If a crisp hard cider’s more your speed, hit up Talbott’s Farm Market and Taproom for fruity flavors forged over five generations. Then walk off your buzz amid the creative musings of Palisade Art Vision , a rotating collection of public sculpture installations from local and regional artists. @PABLOS PIZZA EVENING: Your night starts with an early dinner at Palisade Cafe 11.0 , which has been nourishing locals and visitors with locally sourced fare since 1930. Current owners John and Marisol both have Spanish heritage, so the menu’s international influences are the real deal. If you happen to be there Wednesday -Saturday, the paella is mandatory. Then get ready for a brief return to the Old West at the Rimrock Rodeo , where local cowpokes compete in events like barrel racing, bull riding, calf roping, mutton bustin’ and more (Tuesday evenings, June–August). TALBOTT’S TAPROOM AFTERNOON: Kick off the afternoon with lunch at Pablo’s Pizza . Inspired by Pablo Picasso, their revolutionary, one-of-a-kind pizzas are every bit as @GIRAFFOSAURUSREX FROM TOP: PABLOS PIZZA; TALBOTT’S FARM MARKET AND TAP ROOM; INSTAGRAM/@GIRAFFOSAURUSREX; STEVE TRAUDT; INSTAGRAM/CONFESSIONSOFAKAITLIN; INSTAGRAM/@CHADINGHAM. STEVE TRAUDT 18 ROAD TRAILS AREA @CHADINGHAM HIGHLANDS DISTILLERY @CONFESSIONSOFAKAITLIN 970.256.4060 | VisitGrandJunction.com | 23
Grand Junction Official Visitor Guide Grand Junction Adventure Guide 20/21: Page 23
