Palisade is a small town in the Grand Valley of western Colorado, and it smells of peaches in summer. The orchards that surround it, nourished by water from the Colorado River and baked by long hot days and cool nights, produce fruit so good that people drive from Denver to buy it from roadside stands. The harvest runs from July through September, with peaches at their best in August, and the town holds a festival to celebrate. It sits at about forty-seven hundred feet, which makes it one of the warmest places in the state.
The same combination of sun and cool nights has made the valley a wine region as well, and many small wineries and tasting rooms are scattered among the orchards, along with cideries, lavender farms and a few craft breweries. The backdrop is dramatic: pale cliffs of the Book Cliffs to the north, the flat-topped Grand Mesa to the east, and the red and orange rock of the Colorado National Monument to the west. Mount Garfield, a bare slope above the town, glows in the evening light.
For a rider finishing the Grand Mesa byway, the descent into Palisade is a sudden change in the world. After the cool forest and lakes of the plateau, you drop through winding canyons and into dry, bright orchard country, and the temperature rises by twenty degrees or more. The roads here are flat and straight, running between fruit trees and vineyards, and are best enjoyed slowly, with a stop at a stand for a cold drink and a peach.
Fuel and food are no problem, since the nearby towns of Clifton and Grand Junction, the main city of the valley, have all the services you could need, and Palisade has its own small selection. The Colorado River here is popular for rafting and floating, and cycling is a local passion, so share the road with bikes. Summer is hot, with temperatures often above thirty-five degrees Celsius, so ride in the morning or evening. Autumn is gentler, with harvest festivals and golden light, and the roads are quieter.