I intended to do this post a week ago, right after Patty and I returned from a week in Colorado. But news stories immediately began cropping up, and I had to head in a different direction.
But today, finally, I had the time to get back to that trip. We were out on the Western Slope of Colorado — the entire part of the state west of the Continental Divide — visiting a longtime friend who lives in the town of Paonia, which has a population of about 1,450.
The area has a lot of incredible natural attractions, including Crested Butte, Grand Mesa and the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.
Here’s a map of the general area…Grand Junction is at the upper left; Grand Mesa is upper left center; Paonia is upper center; and Crested Butte is upper right.
The area around Paonia was first explored in 1853 by John W. Gunnison, a U.S. Army captain who was on an expedition for the Corps of Topographical Engineers to locate a suitable pass through the Rocky Mountains.
My friend Don Huber, whom I’ve known since we were both about four years old, moved to Paonia about 12 years ago after retiring as an art teacher at Pensacola (FL) Junior College. I’ve been out to visit him a few times — twice with Patty — and each time I am more awed by the area and its natural wonders.
Our trip (we drove) was complicated by wild fires near Grand Junction and Glenwood Springs, both of which are on I-70. The section of I-70 where we would have turned south toward Paonia was closed because of the Glenwood Springs fire, so we had to take the southern route, along U.S. 50 (at lower right on the map).
U.S. 50 was slower than I-70 but more scenic, with less severe mountain driving, and I’m glad we got to take it. For many miles it tracks the Arkansas River, which is mesmerizing, even from a car. It was all I could do to refrain from stopping the car at various places and finding a point from which I could toss a fishing line into the river.
I did get some fishing in, however, near Paonia and also at the Gunnison River.
…But enough of the commentary; let’s get to the photos!
Salida, about 150 miles east of Paonia, is a major access point for rafting and floating on the Arkansas River. This spot is within 50 yards of Salida’s downtown, where we had lunch on the way West.
This was at the same spot a few minutes later.
This is Grand Avenue, Paonia’s main street. The centerpiece is the Paradise Theater, the “tall” building at right.
One of the most gratifying things about Colorado is that the temperature starts dropping as soon as the sun sets, and the nights are invariably cool. I took this photo from Don’s porch. The building behind his truck is his art studio.
Patty and I stayed at the Rocky Mountain Inn, a few blocks from Grand Avenue. Our room — “the king suite ” — is a stand-alone structure nestled at an angle behind the main building and the stretch of rooms at left.
Our first day trip was to Crested Butte. That’s Patty and Don outside an ice cream store on Crested Butte’s main street.
And this is Crested Butte Mountain.
One day we went to two or three wineries near Paonia. Patty took this photo, which we dubbed “wine and feet.”
Patty also took this photo — me looking for a spot to cast a line at Lost Lake in the Paonia area.
The most breathtaking area in the region is the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River. From scenic overlooks high in the mountains you can gaze down to the Gunnison, which over millions of years carved out this incredible gorge.
Then, almost magically, you can drive down a 5-mile-long road with a steep grade and many switchbacks and get right down to the river bank. (The fishing is supposed to be excellent in this area, but the fish weren’t responding to anything I was throwing.)
Walking along the rocky river bank was a bit challenging, and Patty showed off her superior hiking skills, which I memorialized with this photo.
Going through Salida on the way back to Kansas City, we got a whimsical reminder of the great area we were leaving. A “fourteener” is a mountain peak with an elevation of at least 14,000 feet. There are 96 fourteeners in the United States, all west of the Mississippi River. Colorado has the most, with 58. Good friends of ours have a daughter who lives in Denver and has several fourteener notches in her belt…Me, I’ll take the wieners and leave the fourteeners to her and the other “high” achievers.
JimmyCsays: At the juncture of journalism and daily life in KC 
Thank you, Jim, for that lovely trip which we enjoyed through your commentary and photos. Hope to take that one ourselves sometime.
Thanks for taking the time to comment, Jodi.
I second that comment. No wonder CO is such a popular destination. What made your friend settle in that town?
He had made several trips to Colorado, looking for possible places to settle. He really wanted out of Pensacola. He liked the Western Slope and was looking for houses, with a maximum budget of $200,000. He had been to the Paonia area but hadn’t found anything in that range, and on one trip he was about 230 miles east in Cripple Creek, intending to buy there, when his real estate agent informed him a house in Paonia had just been dropped from $225,000 to $200,000. They drove over and checked it out, he submitted the offer that day, and the seller accepted. He’s very happy where he ended up, and so are we!
“Fate” has a way of working things out.
Thanks for the photos. Due to the pandemic, we aren’t going anywhere this year. It is refreshing to see some wonderful, scenic shots of a great vacation land, though it makes me ache for summer vacation again!
Thank you for the lovely pictures and accompanying information, Jim. it brings back memories of my previous lifetime, otherwise known as childhood.