To get through nursing school, one has to have a study buddy, best friend. shoulder to cry on, and someone you can count on. Well, mine came to visit! Chelsea and I studied all 4 years of nursing school together and she was able to take time off and visit me last weekend! It was a quick trip, but here's a little blog on some fun things to do if you're ever in Grand Junction for a few days!
Friday during the day, I hiked the Ribbon Trail at Bangs Canyon with Kristin and her dogs. Once I picked up Chelsea from the airport that night, I took her over to Kristin's for some drinks and puppy love! We woke up early on Saturday morning to head out and hike Liberty Cap. After fighting for a place to park, we finally set out for the trail! The parking lot is very small and surprisingly there were a lot of people with the same idea as us. Chelsea really enjoyed this hike and the views it had to offer.
Ribbon Trail is pictured above, and Liberty Cap is pictured below!
We had plans to go wine tasting that day, so after hiking we stopped at Kiln, my favorite coffee place. Then headed straight to my apartment, made some breakfast and headed over to pick up Kristin, Zack, and Jeslyn. We went to Maison La Belle Vie Winery first then to the Meadery (my favorite). We got lucky that day and were able to go in the back and learn how they make their wine. I was amazed at how much honey they had in there. We headed across the street to Plum Creek Winery afterwards.
Palisade has an awesome distillery so we went there to sit outside on the patio with some refreshing drinks. We then headed over to the Honey Bee Festival with some of Kristin's friends. We got food at the Palisade Cafe, which did not fully fill our hunger. Zack offered to make some green chili for us that evening. Originally I was going to take Chelsea to a place in Fruita called Munchies. I heard that was the best place, but nothing is better than homemade green chili! It was absolutley delicious and Chelsea agreed. We went back to my apartment and walked around Main Street to hopefully help our stomach digest all the spicy green chili we had just consumed.
Pictured above is Palisade Cafe, and below is delicious home made green chili (a must try when in Grand Junction).
Sunday we got up early and headed to Main Street Bagels for breakfast and then went to church. We knew we wanted to conquer Mount Garfield (I KNOW. I DID IT AGAIN), but we had to head there early before it was too hot. Thankfully with my new hydration pack I was very hydrated and Chelsea brought hers so she was too. It was a very hot day and at the top, the views were amazing! We sat there for probably 45 minutes enjoying the views. It took us roughly 3 hours round trip, and unfortunately we did not see any wild horses. Chelsea agreed that this is a very difficult hike, but totally worth it.
"Something about hanging your feet off a cliff" - Chelsea Avron
Afterwards, we enjoyed some happy hour beers at Palisade Brewing Company on their patio. They had a live band and while sitting there, we both noticed the awkward sun burns we both were developing. After some hot showers, we headed to Kannah Creek Brewing Company, just down the road from my apartment in Grand Junction. Out on their patio, we were able to watch the sunset with some craft beer. To finish off our night, I made some salmon, brussel sprouts, and pasta!
Monday, Chelsea unfortunately had to board the plane around noon. We forced ourselves to get up early one more time to enjoy the day. We wanted to go to Home Style Bakery that morning, but found that it is closed on Mondays (my mistake). On the bright side, Enstrom Candies was open! At Enstrom Candies, you can see them make toffee and everything there, for the most part, is made here in Grand Junction. All of the staff were very nice and gave us multiple free samples of our own choosing. Chelsea and I walked around downtown to the local shops and boutiques. There is a new place here that opened up called Candle Kitchen. You can purchase already made candles, or make your own for $1 more! We were running short on time so we were unable to make our own, but we did smell lots of candles!
In barely 3 days, Chelsea was able to do so much and she, along with myself and everyone that has visited me, loved Grand Junction and hopes to be back again someday.
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