The Grand Mesa is the biggest mesa (flat-topped mountain) in the world, covering around 500 square miles, and has more than 300 lakes and reservoirs dotting the landscape.
Since we were in the car, we decided to take the road not traveled on motorcycles -- gravel -- and took the scenic route around the Mesa. We pulled over before the road re-joined CO Hwy 65 because the view was so amazing.
After getting back on Hwy 65, we decided to take the loop around through Delta and back up U.S. Hwy 50 to Palisade and visit a few of the Colorado wineries.
Before leaving Delta, we stopped at a biker bar called Hoolies and had a bite to eat. The food was good and the staff was excellent. On the way up to Palisade, we looked at our maps to see what the best route would be -- and discovered that the area has almost 30 wineries. And that is just the Grand Valley wineries.
Our first tasting was at the Meadery of the Rockies. They offered five free tastes and we could get more for a buck a taste. They were good enough that I bought a bottle of the Cherry 'n Honey.
The next two places were related to the Meadery -- St. Kathryn Cellars, and Talon Wineries. St Kathryn Cellars produces lighter, fruity wines, while the Talon Winery produces the traditional grape wines. The gift shops had some interesting items, including some locally produced jams and jellies. I had to get a small jar of jalapeno jelly. Having never tried it before, I was surprised at how good it is.
Our final tasting was the DeBeque Canyon Winery. This tasting room only offered four samples, but you can also purchase more for a buck a taste. By this time, we were pretty tasted out, so it was time to stop by the local grocery store for food for the week, then back to the condo for the night.
Tomorrow we will visit our friends Denise and Chris in Paonia.
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