I left the mesa and went back to Grand Junction on Saturday.  I had planned to stay until Friday so I went ahead and booked something inexpensive for a couple of nights.  I could explore one of the possible lodges for the future trip later in the week.

I was intrigued by a place called the Palomino Inn as it had a 9 rating.  Hmmm….  Wasn’t anything fancy so what was the deal?  Anyway, I could get a killer deal for two nights including breakfast.

Booked!

After my hike outside of Palisade on Saturday morning and my dusty visit to the winery I headed into town for the Palomino on Hwy 6.  Let me describe Hwy 6.  It’s where you find large strip malls four lane highways and Denny’s.  Old fashioned singles-storied motels are here and there, many long in the tooth.  (BTW, did you know that a horse’s teeth get longer as they age- thus “long in the tooth”.  I think I just read that somewhere or dreamed it or something.)

Finally I could see it.  The Palomino Inn.  Yep, the old-fashioned brick motel with the office up front, a small seldom-used pool that was still covered, ice machine and little doors all in a row.  Across the street was a Big Lots.

I checked into a very clean office where the woman had a european accent (turned out to be Polish).  I could see the very small breakfast area.

Got my key and went to the room.  Opened the door and was instantly aware of a certain smell- the smell of cleanliness.  It was an average size motel room, what you would expect, but you knew immediately that someone took great pride in their little piece of the American Dream.

The bed had a white bedspread with a turquoise runner down the center.  There were several nice sleeping pillows and a couple of accent pillows.  The desk was clean and had a clear sign saying “Wifi Code: Freewifi”   Yes..make it easy.

There was a closet area outside of the bathroom with a compact fridge, microwave and coffee maker.  The bathroom was spotless.  No little cheap square bar of white soap- remember those?  There were colored luxury soaps, shampoos and conditioners.

I returned to the woman at the desk.  “You deserve your 9.”

I walked down to a recommended Mexican restaurant for the evening that had a great salad then returned for a good night’s sleep.

In the morning I went over for breakfast.  There was nothing fancy or even spacious about the breakfast area, but the breakfast was exceptional especially considering the price- less than $60 per night.  There were scrambled eggs!!!  Real ones!!!

No, the Palomino Inn will not be on my itinerary.  Maybe if it was located somewhere out in the boonies right off the trail, but that wasn’t the case.  I’ll instead opt for the downtown historic district which is super nice in Grand Junction and quite special.

Still, I applaud this small establishment.  If you’re going to have a motel across the street from Big Lots, then why not have the best motel possible across from Big Lots.

Hail to the small businessman (or woman).