Palisade, Colorado, Part Three: Orchard Tours
Oops, I got distracted and forgot to describe the last part of our trip to Palisade!
The second day was purely dedicated to orchard tours. The countryside is absolutely beautiful, so I may have gone a little crazy with postcard-worthy pictures . . .
First we went to the Clark Family Orchard fruit stand. It wasn't open yet for the summer, but they let us take a look.
Waiting just around the corner for us was a horse-drawn carriage!
Once aboard, our tour guide was Mr. Clark himself. His son, who I believe manages the orchard operation, was our driver.
Here he's showing us branches from peach trees that are covered in buds. From the buds come flowers and then the flowers produce fruit. He explained that most of the buds have to be removed or the peaches will be too crowded and not as large as they could be.
Melise seemed to like it as we drove at a trot through the countryside.
And now begins the parade of scenery pics that I just couldn't stop myself from sharing!
Here is an irrigation canal with an orchard just beyond and the bluffs towering above. An irrigation canal is manmade to transport water to farmland. There is likely a governing body that determines how much water each farmer gets out of the canal each year.
Kids pretending to drive a backhoe.
A young orchard with a red barn - how could I resist? The black lines above the trees are drip irrigation hoses. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to bring water to a crop or orchard, although it can also be the most expensive. The alternatives are flood irrigation (just what it sounds like), gated-pipe (lines of pipe along the edge of a field with a series of small openings to offer a more controlled version of flooding), and sprinklers.
Also of note in that picture is the large fan standing above the orchard. It runs when there is danger of frost to circulate air and, hopefully, prevent freezing.
A little tractor in the middle of an orchard - as irresistible as a red barn.
An old apricot tree in bloom, surrounded by a collection of antique farm equipment.
The next orchard we visited was Kokopelli Orchards.
Here is the owner, in red, who told a serendipitous tale of how he came to purchase the orchard and an old mine site that is now their fruit stand. He also did a demonstration of how he prunes the trees. He clipped branches so quickly that I could barely follow his movements with my eyes - it was more like he waved a wand and the branches just fell off!
We took a tour of their orchard in the back of this old flatbed pick-up truck. Don't worry, they didn't drive too quickly . . . I'm not sure the pick-up could go faster than 10 mph if they wanted it to!
These are apricot blooms. Can you see the bees hard at work?
Sigh! Well that ends my tale of visiting Palisade. I had a great time and plan to return in the future. If any of you are inspired, check out the Palisade Tourism website. Don't forget they have wineries, art, restaurants, and comfy lodging just waiting for you! Oh, and one more thing I didn't discuss before are their many festivals! On the top of my list is the Barrel Into Spring festival - its something to do with drinking wine straight out of the barrels? I'm not quite sure, but they have me curious . . .
The second day was purely dedicated to orchard tours. The countryside is absolutely beautiful, so I may have gone a little crazy with postcard-worthy pictures . . .
First we went to the Clark Family Orchard fruit stand. It wasn't open yet for the summer, but they let us take a look.
Waiting just around the corner for us was a horse-drawn carriage!
Once aboard, our tour guide was Mr. Clark himself. His son, who I believe manages the orchard operation, was our driver.
Here he's showing us branches from peach trees that are covered in buds. From the buds come flowers and then the flowers produce fruit. He explained that most of the buds have to be removed or the peaches will be too crowded and not as large as they could be.
Melise seemed to like it as we drove at a trot through the countryside.
And now begins the parade of scenery pics that I just couldn't stop myself from sharing!
Here is an irrigation canal with an orchard just beyond and the bluffs towering above. An irrigation canal is manmade to transport water to farmland. There is likely a governing body that determines how much water each farmer gets out of the canal each year.
Kids pretending to drive a backhoe.
A young orchard with a red barn - how could I resist? The black lines above the trees are drip irrigation hoses. Drip irrigation is the most efficient way to bring water to a crop or orchard, although it can also be the most expensive. The alternatives are flood irrigation (just what it sounds like), gated-pipe (lines of pipe along the edge of a field with a series of small openings to offer a more controlled version of flooding), and sprinklers.
Also of note in that picture is the large fan standing above the orchard. It runs when there is danger of frost to circulate air and, hopefully, prevent freezing.
A little tractor in the middle of an orchard - as irresistible as a red barn.
An old apricot tree in bloom, surrounded by a collection of antique farm equipment.
The next orchard we visited was Kokopelli Orchards.
Here is the owner, in red, who told a serendipitous tale of how he came to purchase the orchard and an old mine site that is now their fruit stand. He also did a demonstration of how he prunes the trees. He clipped branches so quickly that I could barely follow his movements with my eyes - it was more like he waved a wand and the branches just fell off!
We took a tour of their orchard in the back of this old flatbed pick-up truck. Don't worry, they didn't drive too quickly . . . I'm not sure the pick-up could go faster than 10 mph if they wanted it to!
These are apricot blooms. Can you see the bees hard at work?
Sigh! Well that ends my tale of visiting Palisade. I had a great time and plan to return in the future. If any of you are inspired, check out the Palisade Tourism website. Don't forget they have wineries, art, restaurants, and comfy lodging just waiting for you! Oh, and one more thing I didn't discuss before are their many festivals! On the top of my list is the Barrel Into Spring festival - its something to do with drinking wine straight out of the barrels? I'm not quite sure, but they have me curious . . .
Posted by Susan at May 11, 2010 
Categories: Travel
Tags: mesa county peach vineyard colorado orchard festival. wine palisade tour apricot
Categories: Travel
Tags: mesa county peach vineyard colorado orchard festival. wine palisade tour apricot
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