Grand Junction is a small college town, as the theater billboard indicates. It has a lovely downtown with lots of trees and neat shops. There are sculptures on every corner and most of them are for sale. Once a year the sculptures are changed and new artists display their work. Our favorite things about downtown are the farmer's market, the bagel shop, and the gelato shop. The gelato is made fresh everyday with locally grown ingredients including lavender, peaches, corn, and pears. Our favorites are plum, hazelnut, and spicy chocolate. We have not tried the avocado flavor yet, but we hear it is good. The very best thing about downtown is we can walk there is a few minutes.
Grand Junction is in a valley set between two imposing, rock edifices. The strange and beautifully worn white Bookcliffs and the earthy red Colorado National Monument. The monument is minutes from downtown and is a mesa that has been eroded by water leaving canyons and rock formations. It is a wonderful place to hike and watch wildlife. Eagles and ravens soar overhead and lizards dart below. Most exciting are the bighorn sheep which were at one time close to extinction, but have now made a come back. They are incredibly nimble climbing up the soft red rocks.
