Road Trip Day Two – Paonia

At the end of Kebler Pass you meet the North Fork of the Gunnison River, which then runs down through Paonia.

When we arrived in Paonia, a town I used to live in with me ex-husband, we headed up to our old orchard which online said it still offered U-pick.  They had hours posted online and we were excited to see the place.  When we got there no one was around and the place had been trashed.  They changed the name from Valley View Orchards to the Name First Fruits, a name they had already from owning an orchard down in the valley below.  It was shocking and broke my heart to see the state of the orchard and home.  The log home was not being cared for, there was an old car on the lawn, the weeds were overgrown everywhere.  The orchards had been planted so the threes were so close together that the soil couldn’t possible support that density.  The barn that we had repaired and painted still said Valley View Orchards as I had painted it, and the door was falling off the hinges. 

There was no one around and no sales or U-pick of any kind going on but no notice that they were not open no indication they had ever been selling fruit there.  I guess I should have gotten out and taken some pictures but I was too upset.  We had purchased the orchard from an old couple whose family had owned the property for over 100 years.  We felt a responsibility with that to honor the commitment of that family to this sacred piece of land and to know that who my ex sold it to trashed the place like this was like a knife in the heart. 

We left and went to another orchard and got some cherries my brother asked the woman if she knew what had happened up there and she didn’t but directed him to one of the guys in the processing building so he went over to chat.  He it turns out had worked at valley view and lived there for a while after the previous owner had a stroke and was wanting to find a way to buy it when we happened along.  He said the current owners are buying up everything and they are not taking care of any of their places or equipment.  He was also upset about it.  He said they were not doing u-pick or selling up there because they had too much to take care of to have anyone up there running things.  They of course couldn’t be bother to put up a sign saying they were not open for the year!!  He said they were taking the organic cherries up to Aspen and Boulder and selling for 8-9 dollars a pound.  I bet if the folks up in Aspen who believe in organic and sustainable agriculture would be shocked and dismayed at the way these people live on the land and “care” for the organic land they care take.

Heartsick from the whole thing, I took almost no photos for this whole section of the trip The orchard we went to was beautiful right by the river.  As we were driving out of town I realized I had taken no photos and pulled over for this one.

Mt Lamborn and Lands End Mountain from Paonia. with Mt Gunnison way off to the left in the back.