20 Things To Do In Grand Junction, Colorado From a Native

I've lived in Grand Junction, Colorado my entire life. I figured since I'll be leaving within the next month for the Denver area I should put together a list of all the things that are truly "Junction." There are way more then 20 items but these are my top 20. I'm going to be treating this like a bucket list of sorts of things to do before I leave!

1. Go to every winery in Pali and stock up on bottles. Probably a 2 day thing.  

  Seriously, check out all the details about Wine Country Colorado here.

I'll definitely be back every September for the Winefest in Palisade. We had a lot of fun last year!

2. Go on a weekend camping trip on the Mesa and make breakfast over the fire. ️

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3. Hike Mt Garfield, finally. It really is quite the feat. To get a better idea of it check it out here! It's hiking 2,000 feet up to the top of this bad boy. Not in the snow, I just thought that picture was pretty.

4. Hike Devils Kitchen. It's this really interesting and awesome outcropping on the Colorado National Monument. It's not too hard of a hike and it is very very pretty. You can climb all around the "Kitchen" and get some great vantage points.

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5. Hike the Palisade Rim trail. There's Petroglyphs. Which is pretty rad. Brennan and I did this one not to long ago, here's a picture of him looking all handsome on top of the mountain.

6. Take a picture on the Colorado National Monument. I mean seriously. Look at it.

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7. Do a nice lazy day river float down the Colorado River and drink a beer.

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8. Go to the delicious Nepal restaurant downtown. There's no great pictures online but I will get one when I go to mark it off my list! They have an awesome lunch buffet, vegan options, and AMAZING chai! You can always check out their menu here.

9. Spend a morning people watching at Main Street Bagels. It's totally delicious. They have more then bagels, also. They have amazing lunch and sandwich options, coffees, teas, and other artisan baked goods. See all their options before you head in here.

10. Go to Quincys for the hell of it. Quincy's is the dive bar in town that is one of the most fun spots to go! Not classy, but a lot of fun!

11. Bike  part of the Colorado River Front trail.

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12. Hike to Independence Monument.

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13. Go to Hot Tomato and have pizza and beer with friends.

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14. Go to Kannah Creek for beer and libations! Actually, that's where my going away party is going to be so, that's pretty cool.

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15. Patio evening at the Ale House with friends. This one is a must do! I will probably check it off multiple times before I go! They have great beer from the area and also from Breckenridge Brewery. They always have live music playing and they have an amazing patio and outdoor area that is perfect for lazy summer afternoons drinking and spending time with friends.

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16. Go to the Avalon for a movie.  

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17. Hike Hanging Lake. It's an amazing 2.8 mile hike in Glenwood Canyon, Colorado. It's gorgeous. You always see proposals, photos, and families on the trail. It is really popular too. Probably for it's stunning views!

18. Food truck Friday! Did it! This is a fun event that the city does during the summer. If you're new to the area or just like Food Trucks, this is a great place to go to get all sorts of different options! They also always have live music and tons of options. Plan for the evening though! Junctionities always turn up in droves for this one! See all the locations and trucks by checking out the Food Truck site here!

19. Peach Street Distillers. AKA "The Still" to locals. An amazing and delicious distillery that features their own vodka, gin, and tequila! It is so delicious! Be warned though. That stuff is strong! I taught at the high school down the street and it was a favorite spot to head after a long day with students. Here is their website with all the delicious options!

20. Just across the parking lot from Peach Street Distillers is the Palisade Brewery. Best known for their delicious beer the Dirty Hippie, they have a wide variety of beers available all brewed locally! Totally delicious. They also have some great bar food if you happened to have hit it a little hard at the Still before heading over. Here is the link to all of their different options and strategies. Be sure to stop there and get the sampler! I'll be getting one before I go... or two. What's counting anyway? It's a bucket list!

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There's a lot of things on this list that are going to be so awesome! I don't have much time left so I better get after it! I'll do blog posts along the way as I knock things off!

What are you most looking forward to seeing? Share in the comments below!

5 Best Resources for Your First Big Move

  

To view images more successfully on Google Chrome, keep your zoom setting at 90%. Working to resolve the issue! This whole moving thing has been a bit of a challenge. Now,  that might seem obvious but I have to tell you a true and honest confession: the last time I moved was from my parents house to my current house. A mile away. Nine Years Ago. Which, ultimately, means it doesn't count.  I've put together a list of sources from a variety of places to help out other people who may be in a similar situation- or at least that need some help narrowing down the field!

I've turned to friends and family for a lot of help and guidance on what to do to get my house sold as well as have an organized and manageable move to Denver. Here are some of the best tips and tricks I've heard of or found on Pinterest thus far:

1. This blog post from Making Lemonade has been an awesome resource! I literally went out and bought the stickers for each room immediately. It has made a big difference! I luckily work at a high school and have thus far avoided having to buy any boxes. But seriously. Click here to check out all of her great advice.

 2. This website has a great infographic for helping you map out a timeline of your move. That has been a huge help for me! I had no idea where to start and this definitely made a big difference! It helped me keep from getting overwhelmed in these last four weeks before the move. Check out the image below but to read the entire article go to the original source Hire a Helper .

3. Since we had the great timeline for moving we were able to get a jump start on cleaning out the house and getting rid of unwanted items. After having had a series of roommates for the first 6 years of living in the house I had a strange variety of items that I didn't personally ever purchase or need. For example: 3 sets of pots and pans. I like to cook but it was way too much. So my friend and I were able to camp out in her garage for three days and sell some of our stuff. We made a pact that anything that didn't sell went to the thrift shop after. I think we made just over $600 total. There were definitely things we should have done better but this blog post here at Wholefully made it much easier for us to get it all figured out! 

I mean for real, we were eating waffles we were so prepared. 

4. BB and I are definitely downsizing in terms of square footage for this house. It was a trade off, we get a larger private backyard and garage, one less bathroom and bedroom. Downsizing was certainly something we had to look into and be aware of. Here are a couple great references for making the most of it:

• The first great source for going from 2000 to 980 sq ft (my downsize isn't that dramatic but it is great advice regardless!). Check it out and the source to the image below here!

• An additional great source to help with the psychology of going to a smaller space or just getting rid of a lot of extra clutter and stuff is Money Can Buy Me Happiness. The article is really refreshing and inspiring. Click the link above to see the article and the source for the image below! 
  

5. Trendy Millennial Minimalism: For Real Life Millennials. I have a confession- I know minimalism is a trend right now for my generation. But I have personally really started to embrace it. Living with a guy who has packed all his stuff in a duffel bag and moved to Hawaii for 6 months really helps change your perspective. All of the stuff we are packing to move is basically MY STUFF. It's really weird to think about. There are a lot of great sources for starting the minimalism idea (I'm not going full in and only having 33 clothing items) and you can adjust it to meet your own needs for this life. 

Read the full article and it's takeaways here!

I've becoming addicted to YouTube since I've been able to stream it on my TV. Here is a great compilation of YouTubers that are all about that Minimalist Life. Check out the list and full article here!

Hopefully this helps anyone else out there that was a bit overwhelmed after making the final decision to make a big move! If you have any other great resources- drop them in the comments below for others to see! 

I suppose I'll go pack some stuff now. 

Eastward Bound & Down: Relocating a Life

It has been nearly 365 days since my last post, meaning that mostly just my  mom will see this. But hey, that's fine! My mom is pretty awesome!

As of this month I have officially owned my home for 9 years and it has been a remarkable experience. I was able to go to college, learn to install my first dishwasher, remodeled my first kitchen, replaced counters, installed flooring, and repainted the living room and bathroom 3 or more times. It has been totally wild, but it is time to announce that I am officially selling my house in Grand Junction, Colorado and moving my entire life to Denver. Like all the other millennials in the entire United States. However, I would like to claim that I am already from Colorado- so it's less annoying.

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We are so excited to go! Brennan (BB) and I have found a rental and I have found a new teaching job over there. It's a scary big move but we're excited. We have been working really hard to get our house market ready and I will be sure to do a blog post about that soon.  Here's us looking all cute and stuff at the Denver Botanical Gardens:

If you have any tips or advice for making a move to a new city please share it with me! I could use all the help I could get. I've grown up in Grand Junction and have never been anywhere else. It's an exciting change. 

Here are the big things I'm excited about:

• More stuff to do (Red Rocks Amphitheater, Baby!)
• Closer proximity to family
• Better work to life balance.
• New house has a large backyard and a garage! (YAY!)
• Master's Degree opportunity.
• More time to bloggggg!

Any tips from people who have moved and downsized? What did you do to sell your house fast and get settled into a new city?