Colorado

A Visit with my Brother

by Ingrid
Columbine
Colorado’s State flower; the Columbine. My sister-in-law is a master gardener and the yard proves it!

It’s six-thirty in the morning on Saturday, May 18th.  My brother and I sit at his kitchen table enjoying a cup of strong, hot coffee.  He and I are both morning people.

My brother has already been up since five-thirty working.  While we visit and drink coffee, he reviews his Tablet and jots notes down on a piece of paper.

My brother is a successful Real Estate Agent in Grand Junction, Colorado, and has a couple of appointments today.  We chat about his day.  Hmm, does that mean he’ll be viewing houses?  “Oh please, pretty please can I tag along”, I ask?  My brother responds, “Sure, but you might be bored”.  Bored?  I don’t think so.  I never tire of looking at houses.  I wonder, as long as we’re out and about, perhaps I can talk him into looking at some new homes and land development.  It’s the home builder in me.  I just can’t help myself.  Even on our winter excursion to the desert southwest, I found time to visit model homes.

A new home subdivision
Checking out a new house under construction

After my brother takes care of the appointments, we head over to a new home subdivision.  We check out a couple of houses under construction.  I feel like a kid in a candy store.  We check out a house being framed, then we enter one in the trim phase.  Curiosity satisfied, we head home to visit with the gang.

My brother and sister-in-law
Buddy and Kitty enjoy playing
Buddy

Sunday we awaken to a beautiful day.  A perfect day to visit Colorado National Monument, most often referred to as The Monument.  The Monument is a ‘must see’ on any visit to Grand Junction.  Click here to visit the web-site and read all about this beautiful place.  To me, it’s a hiking paradise and the photography opportunities are endless.  During past visits, I’ve hiked some of the trails, but since I’ll be leaving in the morning we settle for some strolls here and there at the various overlooks.  And of course that entails taking plenty of photos.  So here’s a little sampling of The Monument.  Click on any photo to view in a larger format.

Having fun at The Monument
The Monument, popular with rock climbers
The Monument
Hiking trails galore in The Monument
Rock formations
a beautiful Colorado sky
Trails meander throughout The Monument
How pretty is this?
flowers along the trails

Grand Junction and the surrounding area are popular with active retirees.  However, young or old, folks from around the world travel to this part of Colorado for world-class biking.  There is an abundance of trails for just about any kind of cycling.  There’s even a bike trail leading to Moab, Utah.  The biking is what brought my brother to Grand Junction, Colorado over eight years ago.  His only regret….not moving here sooner.

In addition to all the bicycling opportunities are the hiking options.  Hiking….right up my alley. You’re not into biking or hiking?  How about wine tasting?  There are several wineries in the area that are open year round and every fall they host a wine tasting festival.

The Grand Junction area is host to all kinds of festivals, some featuring well-known entertainers like Kid Rock and Luke Bryant.  With so many things to do and see and set against a beautiful backdrop, I can see why folks are proud to call Grand Junction home and loving every minute of it.

Grand Junction
My brother and me visiting The Monument

Thank you to my brother and sister-in-law for a great visit.  I know I’ll be back…….you’ve been warned  😉

Grand Junction
Sister-in-law, brother and me at Colorado National Monument – FYI….I’m not that short, the ground was very unlevel…..really!

34 thoughts on “A Visit with my Brother”

    1. You’d love it…..cattle country at it’s best. And lots of “free ranging” cattle….potential road hazard or in my case photo-op….love those cows!

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  2. Thanks for the tour of Grand Junction Ingrid as we have never been. Right now sitting still, looking over the flat landscape of Ohio, I need all the mountain photos I can get, and yours are just gorgeous. 🙂

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    1. I know the feeling. Whenever we visit IL it isn’t long before I miss ‘my’ mountains. There could be a lot more GJ in my future. My brother says I have to learn all the names of the various rock formations at The Monument….lol.

      Change is in the air and if all goes well we will be out of here at the end of June :-). I don’t want to jinx by saying more at this point. I’ll be sure and send you an email when things are more firm. My sister-in-laws garden is amazing. I’m looking forward to enjoying the harvest. More mountain photos tomorrow!

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  3. Biking, hiking and WINE….heck yes! I’m seeing a lot of love in those photos :O) You sure are selling me on Colorado love…what a special time you got to enjoy! Makes me wear a BIG HUGE smile!

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    1. Once you see Colorado for yourself….no selling necessary…..sells itself! Hope you had a great weekend and I know there will be a lot more in your near future.

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  4. I got to see my brothers a month ago and it was a good visit, For my middle brother it was a short visit and he was exhausted after a long flight from Asia. We saw each other for less than a day, but it was good to see him and visit. We are planning a summer get together in Michigan and I hope we can make it happen. I saw my youngest brother a couple of times and it was good to catch up.Glad you were able to see your brother – it makes a difference.

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    1. I hadn’t seen my brother in a couple of years so it was really nice to visit. It’s also fun to get together with family in a location that offers lots of activities. Hope you’re able to arrange a get together with your brothers at your place in Michigan…..boating, fishing, etc….good times….times to treasure 🙂

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    1. I’m glad I could be of help. See this is why you need an RV. Moab is a two hour drive from Grand Junction. Then Canyonlands and Ouray, Colorado………I’ll be nice and stop 🙂

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  6. Have been through Grand Junction but only passing through… thanks for the tour. It might certainly be worth a detour. 😀 Loved the dog (and the cat, too!) but I’m pretty much a dog person.

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    1. I always enjoy my visits to Grand Junction and I’d say it is worth a detour to take in the unique beauty. I’m a dog lover myself, but couldn’t resist taking some photos of Kitty as she posed for me. She’s an outdoor cat….a stray they found hiding in their shed at their last house.

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      1. Ahhh, an outdoor cat is a good one. We had one who was a terrific mouser. Having a dog that doesn’t shed was such a relief that until they come up with a non-shedding cat, they stay outside.

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          1. This kitty does a great job keeping down any mouse population. So my sister-in-law is pretty happy with her. Never allowed in the house…..well winter in the garage is ok!

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  7. That settles it. We have to go back to Grand Junction to see Colorado National Monument.

    We saw signs for it when we were on our way to Yellowstone, but opted to go to Black Canyon of the Gunnison for two days. That was awesome as well.

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    1. Black Canyon is indeed pretty cool as well. There is so much to explore around Grand Junction. We’re hoping to get over there with the rig this summer to check out some more things. Tetons and Yellowstone are high on our ‘must see’ list.

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  8. Ingrid, that pic of you and your bro so smiling and happy….can I tell you how much it screams “Love” .
    Family aside, Grand Junction sounds like a wonderful spot to hang out even alone! So much natural beauty to inhale and explore.
    Excellent post. 🙂

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    1. Thank you. I hadn’t seen my brother in a couple of years so it was great to catch up especially in such a beautiful setting. My sister-in-law is a master gardener and I hope to revisit soon so I can photograph the yard when all is in bloom.

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    1. It’s very pretty in GJ but then again so is Co. Springs. It would be tough to have to pick between the two. The Monument is much larger than Garden of the Gods and impressive in a different way. I’d say it’s worth the drive for a nice get away especially if you can take your time along the journey.

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  10. Ingrid this place looks devine… and as you say so many photo opportunities… beautiful… yes I can see the ground is uneven… no I can’t…lol

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    1. There is so much more to see and capture in that part of the country. I hope to be sharing it with you all later in the year. Did you put your glasses on when checking out that ground? 😀

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  11. What a nice weekend get away for you! We really must visit this area. It looked like a mini Utah! Love those rocks…and biking and hiking, too. My kind of place. Hope the drive home was uneventful.

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    1. It definitely IS a mini version of Utah with bigger ‘city’ amenities. No loss of things to do. We’re planning on visiting there again soon.

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    1. Gosh….is there a part of Colorado that shouldn’t be on a bucket list? Hey, and there’s wine tasting to boot 🙂

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  13. Beautiful Captures – the Monument is breathtaking! I cannot wait for family to arrive in a few weeks – have not seen them since December – been too long.

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