Winter in Grand Junction

As a professed “Snowbird” our plan when we started this midlife adventure was to spend the winter in warmer climates. This year it did not work out as planed so we have decided to make the best of it and embrace our new home. Grand Junction area is a small metropolitan city that is really a very nice family oriented community with a lot to offer once you get to know it.

The town is situated in a valley at the confluence of the Colorado River and Gunnison Rivers. Farming is a major economic activity here along with the oil fields outside of town. To the west of Grand Junction is Fruita, while on the east side is Clifton and Palisade with its farmland and wineries. We can see groves of empty fruit trees and vineyards everywhere.

The Grand Mesa is one of those Mecca’s for any outdoor activity you can think of. It is a flat top mountain filled with small trout lakes and streams. There are plenty of hiking trails and some of the biggest mule deer and elk around. The mountain even boasts the small ski resort Powderhorn which is less than an hour away. The mesa is still something we need to explore some day in Mini Me.

We quickly settled in to a daily routine here at the RV Ranch. Still tired from all of our running around in Buena Vista during the summer we actually stayed close to home. Much like bears hibernating for the winter we venture out for short trips in the cold weather to work and to pick up necessities.

Our excursions have been few. One day we ventured up to the Colorado National Monument. The trip took only half a day and provided a nice view of the Grand Junction valley. The sandstone feature reminded us of the Sedona Red Rock area. There was little else to draw us up there.

The next highlight of our stay has been wine tasting. I do not profess to be an expert at all of the nuances of good wines, I only know if it tastes good I like it. Wine seems to be the predominate alcoholic beverage of choice here. I have managed to find a micro-brewery in Palisade and the Rock Slide in Grand Junction. Both have a nice selection of micro-brews and specialty beers. Other than that it has been the mall and sporting goods stores.

The park itself is very nice and well maintained. However, it is not very exciting here now since the park is populated with mostly contractors or construction workers for the oil fields. It is easy to see that during the summer the park will be a much more entertaining location.

Work is certainly different than our first stop in Buena Vista. The managers Gene and Pauline have given me no definite direction on what needs to be done. For a while I was worried that I would have little to do. However, as usual I can always find something that requires some attention. I have developed this to the point where others working here have come to me looking for something to do. Oh! these poor souls have no idea what will happen to them giving me this power.

For about eight weeks we spent much of our time raking leaves. Guess that’s why it’s called Fall! Guess who found the easiest way to pick up leaves?

During the winter we spend our days cruising the park looking for frozen water lines and filling propane bottles. After the snow storms we would have to clear the sidewalks and parking lot.

Hey! its not exactly what I was use to but it is a John Deere.

Someone is always trying to use too many heaters in their RV’s to stay warm and blowing circuit breakers. People are very funny when they lose their power. There is a lot of denial until you start asking questions and pointing out how much power they are actually using.

Christmas came complete with a blanket of snow on the ground. We went out and found a small tree to decorate. We received a nice present early when our youngest showed up with the Grand daughter.
With New Years day it was time to look back at the changes in our lives for the year. I can honestly say that at no time have I regretted our decision to begin this quest. Along with the rest of the world I have some concerns about our future financial security, but I keep my options open.

I have enjoyed visiting with people from all over the US and even the world. Drinking beer with a Grandma from Germany or watching those crazy Frenchmen riding their ten speed bikes over the Rocky Mountains has added to my life.

I have worked with some wonderful people like Larry and Carol from Missouri. From our own Arizona is Frank and Trish here in Grand Junction. Tommy and Sarah the owners of the Buena Vista KOA were great and we learned from our first jobs. Most importantly of which we learned to keep it fun. I have greatly added to my resume thanks to Gene.

Whether I am wading the Arkansas River trying to catch fish or climbing Mt Princeton I have felt alive and that has been the best part.

We had originally planned to move on to a private campground in Estes Park Colorado called Jellystone which is complete with Yogi Bear. However because of some health issues that have come up and I need to take care of we have decided to stay here for now. This will give me some time to really explore the Western Slope of the Rockies for now.