Gunnison experts? (Denver, Colorado Springs, Grand Junction: relocating, work, home)

[zebedee]

In a couple of years I'll be moving to the Gunnison area. My wife and I have been visiting for a few years and we've figured out where some good restaurants are, and the hardware stores, but I'd really like to find out some local knowledge on where to shop, what to do, when its worth going to Montrose or even Grand Junction (food, outdoor gear, furniture like sofas, vehicle servicing, etc). Anything would be appreciated!

Also, does anyone keep their vehicle outside during the winter? If so, I'd like to learn about what it involves to keep it running okay Thanks!

[jazzlover]

I have not lived in Gunnison for years, but have some dear friends who do. Ironically, they are leaving Gunnison (assuming they can get their home sold). After over 30 years+ of living there, the cold winters are just more than they want to endure any longer. They are relocating to a warmer community in Colorado.

Shopping is fairly limited in Gunnison--if you've been there, you've probably seen what there is. Montrose has the usual big boxes (Home Depot, Target, etc.). Grand Junction has more, but is 135 miles from Gunnison. My friends in Gunnison usually make a few "big" shopping trips out of town each year. When the do, they usually make the drive to Denver or Colorado Springs--those are about 70 miles farther than Grand Junction, but EVERYTHING is available in Denver, as opposed to Grand Junction. Of course, they--like most rural Colorado residents--do more and more of their shopping over the internet. There are times that both Monarch Pass to the east and Cerro Summit to the west can be a nasty drive in winter. A lot of people get fooled by Cerro because it is lower (considerably) in elevation than Monarch. Because of that, Cerro can get a lot of black ice. In some ways, it can be more treachorous than Monarch in some storms.

What to do in Gunnison is the outdoors. If you like that as your main recreation, Gunnison is great. Otherwise, you are limited to the relatively few cultural events that come to the college, Cattlemen's Days, and whatever schtick might be happening up in Crested Butte.

If you're going to have a vehicle outside in Gunnison in the winter, buy a block heater for it. At 40 below, most vehicles won't start without one. If the vehicle is garaged in an unheated garage, a block heater is wise then, too. Don't expect vehicles to stay looking great, especially the interiors. The extreme cold makes things like plastic and leather very brittle. I had two different vehicles (both near new) when I lived in Gunnison. Both got numerous cracks in the plastic dashboards and in the vinyl in the seats from the cold weather. Cold weather starts, etc. put extra wear on engine and drivetrain components, and very negatively affect fuel economy. (Ever seen motor oil so thick from the cold that it pours like molasses? How 'bout diesel fuel turning into slush?)

I hope to hell you visited Gunnison in winter before you actually move there. There is no more gorgeous place around than Gunnison in the summer, but the winter is another matter. Gunnison gets about the same amount of snow as Denver in the winter. Unlike Denver, whatever snow Gunnison gets is usually on the ground from when it falls until mid- to late March. And, then there's the cold. Don't be fooled about that, either. Gunnison has had a long string of years with warmer than normal winters. Anybody who has lived in Gunnison in about the last 10-20 years or so has not seen what used to be considered a "rigorous" winter there. I've lived through some "bad" winters in Gunnison--50 below zero and worse, days on end below zero, months without getting above freezing. I was young then and didn't mind it, but if you're coming from a warmer climate, you may never get used to it. The biggest downer for me there was the length of the winter. By early June (no, I'm not kidding about this in some years), snow and freezing temperatures just get old. (One year, the low was 23 degrees on the first day of summer--June 21. Another year, it snowed 8 inches on Memorial Day weekend.)

Don't get me wrong, Gunnison is a neat town. I have great memories of living there. But it is definitely an acquired taste. That's probably why it has not grown as wildly as so many Colorado towns have (and, to me, that's no bad thing).

[Nadine]

Originally Posted by jazzlover

I have not lived in Gunnison for years, but have some dear friends who do. Ironically, they are leaving Gunnison (assuming they can get their home sold). After over 30 years+ of living there, the cold winters are just more than they want to endure any longer. They are relocating to a warmer community in Colorado.

Shopping is fairly limited in Gunnison--if you've been there, you've probably seen what there is. Montrose has the usual big boxes (Home Depot, Target, etc.). Grand Junction has more, but is 135 miles from Gunnison. My friends in Gunnison usually make a few "big" shopping trips out of town each year. When the do, they usually make the drive to Denver or Colorado Springs--those are about 70 miles farther than Grand Junction, but EVERYTHING is available in Denver, as opposed to Grand Junction. Of course, they--like most rural Colorado residents--do more and more of their shopping over the internet. There are times that both Monarch Pass to the east and Cerro Summit to the west can be a nasty drive in winter. A lot of people get fooled by Cerro because it is lower (considerably) in elevation than Monarch. Because of that, Cerro can get a lot of black ice. In some ways, it can be more treachorous than Monarch in some storms.

What to do in Gunnison is the outdoors. If you like that as your main recreation, Gunnison is great. Otherwise, you are limited to the relatively few cultural events that come to the college, Cattlemen's Days, and whatever schtick might be happening up in Crested Butte.

If you're going to have a vehicle outside in Gunnison in the winter, buy a block heater for it. At 40 below, most vehicles won't start without one. If the vehicle is garaged in an unheated garage, a block heater is wise then, too. Don't expect vehicles to stay looking great, especially the interiors. The extreme cold makes things like plastic and leather very brittle. I had two different vehicles (both near new) when I lived in Gunnison. Both got numerous cracks in the plastic dashboards and in the vinyl in the seats from the cold weather. Cold weather starts, etc. put extra wear on engine and drivetrain components, and very negatively affect fuel economy. (Ever seen motor oil so thick from the cold that it pours like molasses? How 'bout diesel fuel turning into slush?)

I hope to hell you visited Gunnison in winter before you actually move there. There is no more gorgeous place around than Gunnison in the summer, but the winter is another matter. Gunnison gets about the same amount of snow as Denver in the winter. Unlike Denver, whatever snow Gunnison gets is usually on the ground from when it falls until mid- to late March. And, then there's the cold. Don't be fooled about that, either. Gunnison has had a long string of years with warmer than normal winters. Anybody who has lived in Gunnison in about the last 10-20 years or so has not seen what used to be considered a "rigorous" winter there. I've lived through some "bad" winters in Gunnison--50 below zero and worse, days on end below zero, months without getting above freezing. I was young then and didn't mind it, but if you're coming from a warmer climate, you may never get used to it. The biggest downer for me there was the length of the winter. By early June (no, I'm not kidding about this in some years), snow and freezing temperatures just get old. (One year, the low was 23 degrees on the first day of summer--June 21. Another year, it snowed 8 inches on Memorial Day weekend.)

Don't get me wrong, Gunnison is a neat town. I have great memories of living there. But it is definitely an acquired taste. That's probably why it has not grown as wildly as so many Colorado towns have (and, to me, that's no bad thing).

I don't always agree with Jazzlover but I do this time. Gunnison is not for warm weather lovers. But it is beautiful there no matter. It is ranch country and they do most of their entertaining at home with neighbors and in the summer rodeos,(fishing is out in the hay field) and working hard. Not operas etc. Do have some darn good stomping dances tho. They work hard and they play hard. Wonderful people that will give you the shirt off their backs.

[jazzlover]

Amen, Nadine. Some of the finest people I have ever known were some of the "old-line" Gunnison natives. Though Crested Butte is now the "tail that wags the dog" in Gunnison County thanks to the resort and the newbies that it has brought into the area, I don't even really think of it as "Gunnison Country." I like the ranch country--and, thank God, the water-sucking slimeball develolpers on the Front Range haven't gotten their hands on Gunnison wateshed water. At least, not yet . . . Ditto, for the San Luis Valley, where the fight has been long and hard over the years to keep Front Range hands off of their water. Small wonder that the upper Gunnison valley and the San Luis Valley are two of my favorite areas of Colorado. Tough, hard-living, but decent people in both. I'm proud to call a number of them my friends.

[dianne.thomas]

Can anyone please explain to me how to post a question on here? Thanks!

Originally Posted by zebedee

In a couple of years I'll be moving to the Gunnison area. My wife and I have been visiting for a few years and we've figured out where some good restaurants are, and the hardware stores, but I'd really like to find out some local knowledge on where to shop, what to do, when its worth going to Montrose or even Grand Junction (food, outdoor gear, furniture like sofas, vehicle servicing, etc). Anything would be appreciated!

Also, does anyone keep their vehicle outside during the winter? If so, I'd like to learn about what it involves to keep it running okay Thanks!

[dianne.thomas]

I can only see how to respond to questions, but dont know how to write them. Thanks for your help!

[DOUBLE H]

Jazzlover is absolutely right.Gunnison is bone rattling cold in the winter. This past April I went through to visit friends in Salida(I live west of Grand Jct)Left at 7AM.Rolled in at 10AM. And the temperature is 16 degrees colder than when I left three hours earlier! Forty degrees below in the middle of winter is about right. Fortunately, it has not been totally ruined by development-yet.

[dianne.thomas]

Can anyone please give me information on the Highland Meadows subdivision in th Windsor area? All help and advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

[zebedee]

Diane - if you click on "colorado" at the top of thi page, you'll be taken back to the main CO page. On the left and the top is a "new thread" button. Click on that, and type your question there.

Everone else- thanks (esp. jazzlover) for the info!

[zebedee]

If anyone has any more Gunnison advice or winter vehicle advice, I'd appreciate it