As we made our ascent up onto the Grand Mesa, the views were spectacular and the temperatures began to drop. It was about 88 degrees F in Grand Junction, and definitely getting much cooler as we climbed.
We started seeing snow off in the distance, but it was still pretty warm at this point.
And before we knew it, we were into the snow. Since we used to live in Colorado, you would think we would expect this in June, but I think we have forgotten. It has already hit 118 degrees F in Lake Havasu this summer, so this was a little unexpected for us.
We stopped at the visitors center just to see what they had to say about Grand Mesa. They recommended that we go up the side road just a little bit further. They said it is only open for about 2 more miles, but in the summer, you can drive all the way to Colbran.
At the visitor's center they told us that many of the roads are still closed for the year. And looking at this next picture, we can see why.
One of the locals getting a little sunshine.
The rangers told us about the Alexander Lake Lodge about 2 miles up the side road, and said that we could get some lunch there if we wanted. We love supporting the little out-of-the-way places, so we thought it sounded like a great idea.
When we walked in, it was very quiet. A young lady at one of the tables asked if she could help us, and we asked it they were serving lunch. She said "Let me check", and she disappeared. She returned in a few minutes and said yes, they could serve us some lunch, so she grabbed some menus and led us into the restaurant, which was quaint and rustic.
We had a nice table with a beautiful view.
I don't know why, but I always think that mountain lodges should have exotic comfort food on their menus, but I need to remind myself that it isn't usually the case, no matter how much I want it to be. Their menu was somewhat limited, but they had a hunters stew on the menu that sounded intriguing to us, so we both ordered the hunters stew. She said that they didn't have any hunter's stew, they would be making it again on Sunday. So we both changed our order to the chicken pot pie with a side salad. Something nice and warm sounded good in these cooler temperatures.
Our pot pies came out, and looked wonderful. So we dug in, and enjoyed one of the best Van De Camps frozed pot pies we have had in years. So much for exotic mountain food, but we truly enjoyed the experience and the view.
When we left the lodge, we continued down the Grand Mesa road which would take us out on the south side near the town of Cedaredge and continue on through the town of Delta before taking us back to Grand Junction. These towns are in a huge agricultural valley surrounded by beautiful snow capped mountain peaks.
Our final surprise as we were leaving the mesa to the south were these wild lupine growing by the road. What a treat to see!
When we headed out this morning, we thought we were going to a high desert plateau. When you look at it from Grand Junction, that is what it looks like. We were so pleasantly surprised to enjoy this beautiful snowy forest instead.
Grand Mesa....future water for Lake Havasu.
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