Winery tour from Colorado through Idaho

Wineries and Farms

When we were at the RV Show in Quartzsite Linda, John and I had met with Don and Kim of Harvest Hosts and told them we were making a trip to Canada.  They had suggested we stop at some wineries along the way and had mentioned several that we might enjoy.  Linda did the planning including contacting them along the way to make sure they knew we were coming.

Our first stop was at St. Kathryn’s Winery in Palisade, CO which I mentioned in the last post.  Now we were headed into Utah where we spent the night at a farm in a little farm community south of Salt Lake City called Santaquin, UT.  On the way we saw some fabulous Utah scenery.

DSC_0004

We stayed at South Ridge Farms.  They had a fabulous store that included all kinds of preserves, great apples and cherries, apple cider and even ice cream sodas.  After we ate dinner in our rigs we went in and had an Ice cream soda.  Yum!

DSC_0005

Stopped at the Elks Club

The next day we had to drive through the Salt Lake City area.  Lots and lots of cars.  But we made it through all the traffic without a snag.

We stopped at the Elks Club in Roy, UT. We did some shopping at the Walmart in the area.  Sorry but I forgot to take any pics of our spots. That ended our trip through Utah.

Off to Idaho

Our first stop in Idaho was Snyder’s Winery located in Buhl, ID.  They weren’t open for wine tasting, but they did let us spend the night there.  Again I forgot my camera, so no pics.

Then it was a short 57 miles to our next winery and overnight stop.  This one was in Hammett, ID at the Cold Springs Winery.

DSC_0008

DSC_0024

Our favorite winery

Bill was the owner of Cold Springs Winery and he introduced himself and showed us where we could park.  After we got all set up we went over to the tasting room, which he had opened up just for us.  Bill was a very friendly guy and told us all about the history of the winery as well as the local area.

We really had a great time there.  There was a big lawn where the dogs could check out all the wonderful grass smells and romp off leash and they loved it.  Here is Sadie enjoying all the smells.

DSC_0028

Here are a couple of pics of Chica racing around on the lawn.

DSC_0011

DSC_0013

We also enjoyed a beautiful sunset.

DSC_0023

Another whopping 83 miles to the next winery

We only had a short distance to travel to the Woodriver Winery in Eagle, ID.  We had to travel through Boise, ID and the traffic was horrible.  We couldn’t believe it even though it was Saturday.  It was very nice here but a bit more commercial then some of the smaller wineries we have enjoyed.

DSC_0035

Heading for Baker City, OR

Today we are heading for Baker City, OR to meet up with the Northwest Lazy Daze GTG.  This is where we will also meet all the folks going to Canada.  I am really looking forward to this rally and see friends I haven’t seen in quite a while.  Fortunately we don’t have to travel very far.

Our travels to the wineries

I really enjoyed all my travels to the many different wineries and farms while heading to Baker City.  We did a lot of wine tasting and met a lot of really nice people.  It also helped to restock my wine supply with some very good wines.  We were really treated well by each winery/farm and I would highly recommend this to others in making their travel plans.

I would also like to thank Linda for making all the plans and calling ahead to verify that we were coming.  It was well planned and we had a great time.  Now for the rally and then into Canada.

Beginning our journey north

Meeting friends at Salida, CO

My next stop was Salida, CO where I will meet up with John and Linda and caravan up to Baker City, OR for a rally there and then begin our Canada adventure.  I had a bit of trouble finding the place John had designated to camp and eventually meet, but a couple of calls to John straightened me out.  It is the Arkansas River Recreation Area and runs all along the Arkansas River.  Here is my no hook-up site.

DSC_0994

I was watching out across the river and spotted this car driving near the railroad tracks.  I thought it a bit odd since it’s trunk was open and it had a Dominoes pizza delivery sign on top of it.  There was a guy walking along the tracks guiding the way and several people in the trunk dangling their legs out the back just enjoying the ride. Maybe he was delivering pizza to the railroad. HA!

DSC_0989

Here is a pic of the sunset that night.

DSC_0993

John and Linda meet up

The next day John and Linda came down and they treated me to a great pizza at Amico’s in town.  That pizza is soooo delicious.

Then we took off and our destination was a winery at Palisade, CO.  We had to go over the Monarch Pass.  It was 7 miles going up and 9 miles going down.  Very slow going both ways.  I took this pic at the summit which was 11,300 feet.

DSC_0999

It was pretty smooth sailing once we got over the pass.  We stopped at the American Legion Memorial Park in Gunnison, CO for lunch and to let the dogs run.  It was a beautiful day.

DSC_1003

DSC_1002

Final stop

Our last stop of the day was at the St. Kathryn’s Winery in Palisade, CO just outside of Grand Junction.  It was a beautiful winery and after the long day some wine tasting was in order.  They had some really great wines.

Then we pulled up our chairs and had wine and cheese.  Thanks Harvest Host for finding us this great spot to spend the night.

DSC_1004

DSC_1005

Long day…

It was a long day but it was good.  Tuesday we will have even a longer day driving, but then it will be some short days after that.  Our goal will be to reach another winery outside of Santaquin, UT.