We were on our way from Aspen, Colorado, to Black Canyon National Park. We had driven through the Rocky Mountains, seeing some great scenery along the way.
We reached Paonia on our way to Delta. We decided to stop at a convenience store for gas. We had been told to me over and over again was how to go ahead and get gas when you see a gas station, otherwise there might not be another one for a while.
I do not recall going into the gas station. I spent most of my time outside taking photos. I saw the North Fork Baptist Church, a sign of civilization nearby, although it didn’t dawn on me that there might have been more to Paonia than the Stop ‘n Save. From the photograph I see that there were some picnic tables in front of the convenience store, no doubt for weary travelers unaware of the more convenient restaurants just a few miles toward town.
Years afterwards I decided to explore Paonia from the convenience of my desktop computer and Google Maps. There was much more to Paonia. We were just on the outer cusp. It has a handful of hotels and a bed and breakfast that would be great to stay at if I were to ever visit again.