Not everyone realizes you don’t have to travel out of state to explore wine country.

An expansive offering of vineyards and wineries is just one of many allures to Palisade.

The lushest corner of Colorado’s Western Slope, if not the most agriculturally rich swath of land in the entire state, Palisade is home to some of the world’s tastiest peaches, a handful of farm-to-table eateries, a brewery, a distillery, and outdoor adventures you can’t find anywhere else.

Framed by the picturesque Book Cliffs with the majestic Grand Mesa looming above, a weekend here feels like immersion in another world.

Alpacas look curiously around their enclosure at SunCrest Orchard Alpacas on April 20, 2016, in Palisade. The farm specializes in alpacas, fiber processing and finished alpaca products. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Adventure

On the more low-key end of outdoor pursuits, there’s no better way to immerse yourself in a peach-full environment than with a fuzzy friend in hand (No, not a peach).

The family that owns and operates Suncrest Orchard Alpacas and Fiber Works has been one of the area’s greatest peach growers for decades. The orchard has almost 4,000 peach trees.

You can walk among the resident alpacas, whose fur is used onsite to create beanies, yarn, and other products. For $20, you can spend up to an hour strolling the grounds with an alpaca.

Animal lovers with a special affinity for hoofed creatures can venture south of town into the Little Book Cliffs. If you’re lucky, you may spot a wild horse or two. This area has hundreds of wild horses and several hiking or mountain biking trails.

Palisade’s wineries and orchards stretch for several miles along both sides of the Colorado River. A great way to visit several wineries in one day is by bike. There are three established Fruit & Wine Byway loops that measure 5, 9, and 25 miles, allowing you to access nearly every winery in the area. Each route is mostly paved, and you can navigate it with any bike.

That said, a road or e-bike is recommended for the longest route, which takes you through farms and vineyards on both sides of the river, rolling over hills with more than 700 feet of climbing that you won’t notice too much as you take in the sweeping mesa views.

The 9-mile route stays on the north side of the river, passing by a high concentration of wineries and through Riverfront Park and the heart of Palisade.

The 5-mile loop starts and finishes near downtown and is mostly flat and manageable on a cruiser bike. It takes you on a scenic spin along the river south of town, with one of the area’s tastiest and most beautifully set wineries—Colterris—conveniently located on the home stretch.

A rider drops into a section known locally as the toilet bowl within the lower section of the Palisade Plunge that can be reached by a connection to the Palisade Rim Trail just outside of Palisade on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post)

Hiking and mountain biking

On the opposite side of the adventure spectrum, the most extreme you can get sits the Palisade Plunge. Arguably the most impressive and officially among the longest downhill bike trails in the world, the Plunge takes you from atop the Grand Mesa down 6,000 vertical feet and 32 miles.

Don’t be fooled about just being along for a ride, though. This trail is designed only for skilled (and brave) riders. There’s a good amount of pedaling and a few exposed, high-stakes areas.

The upper half of the trail is open to hikers, equestrians, and leashed dogs. Palisade Rim is an iconic hike and bike trail that is easy to access. The trailhead is next to the river just east of town.

The journey, technical on a bike with high exposure in some places, takes you straight up the cliffs, past a handful of ancient petroglyphs, to phenomenal views of wine country below. The loop is about 9 miles long and involves 1,500 feet of climbing and descending.

Farmer Tricia Sproles smells sweet Red Globe peaches as she picks them to box up and ship to market at Papa Brown’s Orchards on August 18, 2016, in Palisade. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Eat

Start your day with an egg sandwich and turmeric latte at The Milky Way, which also serves amazing homemade gelato.

Speaking of sweet treats, Slice O Life Bakery’s peach blueberry cinnamon rolls or lemon lavender scones are a must-try.

Don’t be fooled by its sports bar vibe; 357 Bar & Grill is open for breakfast and serves the heartiest breakfast (bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, stack of pancakes) in town.

Regularly named one of Colorado’s tastiest and most foodie-geared restaurants, Pêche is situated in the heart of Palisade and is a must for dinner.

Opened in 2019 by Ashley Chasseur (general manager/owner) and Matthew Chasseur (chef/owner), Pêche has been widely lauded for its outstanding cuisine. Its menu changes frequently depending on what’s fresh for the season, but always includes charred fruits, locally sourced meats, and home-baked sourdough bread.

The stylish but unpretentious haunt was a 2023 James Beard Award semifinalist in the Outstanding Hospitality category.

Also located in the small downtown vicinity, don’t miss the gourmet tacos at Fidel’s Cocina & Bar. Made with the freshest possible ingredients (locally sourced elk chorizo, peppers roasted onsite, and made-from-scratch tortillas from La Milpa up the road), tacos and thoughtfully crafted plates (chile relleno, enchiladas) rank among the Western Slope’s tastiest. Fidel’s also offers an impressive selection of tequilas, mezcals and creative cocktails.

Considered Colorado’s first wine-themed hotel, Wine Country Inn broke ground in 2007 and has grown to become a comfortable farmhouse retreat among the vineyards for overnight visitors. Its restaurant, Caroline’s, is one of Palisade’s top dining haunts. The French-infused menu gathers ingredients locally, including the famed local peaches featured creatively in appetizers (peach green chili mussels, anyone?) and the signature bread pudding.

The wood barn at Maison La Belle Vie winery is where wine is stored and bottled as seen on April 21, 2016 in Palisade. (Photo by Helen H. Richardson/The Denver Post)

Drink

For a place with a population of less than 3,000, Palisade boasts one winery for every couple hundred residents, with more than 30 scattered around the town’s vicinity and outskirts.

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Each one has its own unique personality, ambiance and signature variety. An obvious standout is Restoration Vineyards. Named after co-owner Gary Brauns’ propensity and passion for restoring vintage vehicles (many of which are on display on the property), Restoration boasts Napa-caliber wines from six grape varieties—barbera, cabernet franc, chardonnay, merlot, sauvignon blanc and sémillon grapes—as well as an expansive outdoor space and patio, where it regularly hosts live music and food trucks.

On the newer side (opened in 2019), Sauvage Spectrum focuses on unique grapes, all grown onsite, and offers a great selection of sparkling wines.

TerraVin Cellars, headed by a seasoned Grand Valley winemaker, makes an exquisite Petit Verdot and offers a casual vibe with occasional live music.

Vines 79 Wine Barn is a fun stop for an Old West meets grapes experience, while Ordinary Fellow is right in town. It is housed in a giant, open-air shed with a ping-pong table and creative varieties crafted by English owner Ben Parsons.

Maison La Belle Vie has a wonderful ambiance, scrumptious French-inspired cuisine, and the most refreshing glass of Marechol Foch around.

Carlson, one of Palisade’s longest-standing vineyards (founded in 1981), thrives. It has accrued numerous awards, including a World Cup winner for its Riesling.

Many of Palisade’s wineries also specialize in fruit wine. Talon’s lineup includes a meadery with several sweet options and a tasty cidery.

Nearly every restaurant in the region carries at least one brew from the unassuming Palisade Brewing Company, which also serves amazing sandwiches. Peach Street Distillers is raising eyebrows for its flavorful bourbon, but it crafts every other type of spirit you might be craving and serves impressively delicious pub fare out of its food trolley.

Spoke & Vine Motel is a renovated classic one-story lodge with a bike theme. (Photo provided by Spoke and Vine)

Stay

The industrial chic, dog-friendly Spoke & Vine Motel is a renovated version of everything you find nostalgic about a classic one-story lodge, but with a bike theme and a free breakfast served right to your door.

Owned by mountain bike enthusiasts Jody Corey and Jeff Snook, the same couple behind Fidel’s Cocina, this lodge will be one of the cleanest, most comfortable and character-endowed motels you’ve ever experienced.

By MIKE SCHNEIDER

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — The federal government over the weekend asked a judge in Miami to put on hold her ruling ordering the winding down of an immigration detention center built by the state of Florida in the Everglades wilderness and nicknamed “Alligator Alcatraz,” pending an appeal of her decision.

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Attorneys for the Department of Homeland Security said in their request for a stay that U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams’ order last week, if carried out, would disrupt the federal government’s ability to enforce immigration laws. They asked the judge to rule on their request by Monday evening.

The request came as a third lawsuit challenging practices at the facility was filed Friday by civil rights groups who claimed the state of Florida had no authority to run an immigration detention center.

In a statement supporting the request for a stay, Garrett Ripa, field office director for Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s enforcement and removal operations in Miami, said that the Everglades facility’s 2,000 beds were badly needed since detention facilities in Florida were overcrowded.

“Its removal would compromise the government’s ability to enforce immigration laws, safeguard public safety, protect national security, and maintain border security,” Ripa said.

The environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe, whose lawsuit led to the judge’s ruling, opposed the request.

The judge said in her order that she expected the population of the facility to decline within 60 days through the transferring of the detainees to other facilities, and once that happened, fencing, lighting and generators should be removed. She wrote the state and federal defendants can’t bring anyone other than those who are already being detained at the facility onto the property.

Environmental groups and the Miccosukee Tribe had argued that further construction and operations should be stopped until federal and state officials complied with federal environmental laws. Their lawsuit claimed the facility threatened environmentally sensitive wetlands that are home to protected plants and animals and would reverse billions of dollars spent over decades on environmental restoration.

The detention center was quickly built two months ago at a lightly used, single-runway training airport in the middle of the Everglades. State officials signed more than $245 million in contracts for building and operating the facility, which officially opened July 1.

President Donald Trump toured the facility last month and suggested it could be a model for future lockups nationwide as his administration races to expand the infrastructure needed to increase deportations.

A second lawsuit also was filed by civil rights groups last month against the state and federal governments over practices at the Everglades facility, claiming detainees were denied access to the legal system. Another federal judge in Miami last week dismissed parts of the lawsuit which had been filed in Florida’s southern district and then moved the remaining counts against the state of Florida to the neighboring middle district.

Civil rights groups last Friday filed a third lawsuit over practices at the facility in federal court in Fort Myers, asking for a restraining order and a temporary injunction that would bar Florida agencies and their contractors from holding detainees at “Alligator Alcatraz.” They described “severe problems” at the facility which were “previously unheard-of in the immigration system.” Detainees were being held for weeks without any charges, they had disappeared from ICE’s online detainee locator and no one at the facility was making initial custody or bond determinations, the civil rights groups said.

“Lawyers often cannot find their clients, and families cannot locate their loved ones inside ICE’s vast detention system,” the civil rights attorneys said. “Detainees have been prevented from accessing attorneys in numerous ways. Detainees without counsel have been cut off from the normal channels of obtaining a lawyer.”

Immigration is a federal issue, and Florida agencies and the private contracts hired by the state have no authority to operate the facility, the civil rights groups argued in asking that their lawsuit be certified as a class action.

The civil rights attorneys described harsh conditions at the facility, including flooding, mosquitoes, lack of water and exposure to the elements as punishment. At least 100 people already have been deported from the facility, including several who were pressured to sign voluntary removal forms without being able to consult with attorneys, they said.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is preparing to open a second immigration detention facility dubbed “Deportation Depot” at a state prison in north Florida.

By LAURA UNGAR

Menopause can usher in a host of disruptive symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats and sleep problems. Hormone therapy promises relief.

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But many women wonder about taking it. That’s because the treatment, subject of a recent expert panel convened by the Food and Drug Administration, has long been shrouded in uncertainty.

It was once used routinely. But in 2002, research testing one type was stopped early because of concerns about increased risks of breast cancer and blood clots. Concerns lingered even though later studies showed the benefits of today’s hormone therapies outweigh the risks for many women.

“There is still a lot of confusion and a lot of fear,” said Grayson Leverenz, a 50-year-old from Durham, North Carolina, who hesitated to take it but is glad she did.

Others increasingly are also giving hormone therapy a second look. But experts continue to disagree about how to present the treatment’s pros and cons. The FDA-assembled panel stressed the benefits and suggested health warnings be removed from at least some versions — prompting dozens of experts to call for more input before making any changes.

Doctors say hormone therapy is a great option for many, but not all, menopausal women — and it’s important to understand the nuanced reality of these treatments before deciding what’s best.

How hormone therapy works

It treats symptoms that can arise when menstruation winds down and ends, causing levels of estrogen and progesterone to drop very low.

One type is low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy. Because it’s applied into the vagina, very little circulates in the blood and the risks are far lower. Doctors say it’s a good option for women whose biggest complaint is vaginal dryness.

Whole-body therapy includes pills, patches, sprays, gels or a vaginal ring that deliver doses of hormones into the bloodstream at levels high enough to have significant effects on symptoms like hot flashes. Such systemic hormones include estrogens and progestogens.

Jennifer Zwink, a nurse in Castle Rock, Colorado, began using an estrogen patch more than a year ago and also has an IUD, which gives her progesterone. The treatment has relieved her hot flashes, improved her sleep and eased her joint pain and bloating.

“It’s not like a 100% magic wand,” she said. “But it definitely has made a significant difference.”

The Menopause Society says hormone therapy can lower the risk of cardiovascular disease if started within 10 years of reaching menopause. It may also reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes and maintain bone density for longer.

“They might have a drop in their bone density at age 60” instead of at age 50, said Dr. MargEva Morris Cole, an OB-GYN with Duke University.

Hormone therapy carries some risks

When Leverenz was first prescribed hormone therapy last year, she kept worrying about the risks she’d heard about — then finally decided: “I can’t live like this anymore.”

With a combination of three medications, her anxiety lifted, her sleep improved, her joint pain and hot flashes went away.

“I just feel like myself again,” she said.

Doctors say many patients hesitate to try hormones, and they try to reassure them.

Women can use estrogen therapy for seven years – and estrogen-progestogen therapy for three to five years – before breast cancer risk goes up, according to the Menopause Society.

The group says both estrogen therapy and estrogen-progestogen therapy increase the risk of stroke, which goes away soon after stopping hormones. The risk of blood clots rises if you take hormones by mouth, but may be lower if you use a patch, gel or spray.

“A lot of these risks are small,” said Dr. Nanette Santoro, an OB-GYN at the University of Colorado. “And they have to be weighed against the benefit of symptom relief.”

Age, medical history and how long women stay on the hormones are also considerations. Many women take them for around five years, and those who’ve had a stroke or certain other conditions may be advised against using them at all.

Debate on changing warnings on hormone medications

Doctors are divided over whether there should be changes in “black box” health warnings on some hormone treatments. All estrogen drugs still carry boxed warnings about the higher rates of stroke, blood clots and cognitive problems among women taking the medications.

Most of the physicians at the recent expert panel meeting convened by the FDA prescribe the hormones or are involved with a pharmaceutical industry campaign opposing the warning label. A letter signed by 76 doctors and researchers argues that “removing label warnings without adequate scientific assessment puts patients at risk,” and asked the agency to hold an advisory committee meeting with a public hearing before making any changes.

In the meantime, doctors urge people to be wary of misinformation, like false claims on social media posts that hormones will prevent dementia and ensure a healthy old age.

“We can’t say that you are going to live a longer, healthier life because you took hormones,” Duke’s Cole said. “I don’t want the pendulum to go so far that people feel that it is promising health for the next 30 to 40 years.”

Alternatives to hormone therapy for menopause

Santoro pointed to a new non-hormonal medication called fezolinetant, marketed as Veozah, for hot flashes and night sweats. The anti-epileptic medication gabapentin, in low doses, can also be used for hot flashes and a moisturizer can improve vaginal dryness.

Experts also say regular exercise and a healthy diet can help manage symptoms.

Santoro urged against the “wild proliferation” of supplements claiming to be menopause cure-alls.

“Everybody is in on the menopause gold rush,” she said. “If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.”

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Department of Science Education and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

By HILLEL ITALIE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Fall books mean more than literary fiction. The top releases this season range from a fairy tale newly told to memoirs about a famous writer’s indomitable mother and life after marriage to a famous rock star. Some books were a decade or more in the making, while former Vice President Kamala Harris’ “107 Days” was finished in a matter of months.

Here are 10 new books to look for.

“Hansel and Gretel,” Stephen King

You may think you know the Grimms’ fairy tale about two children lost in the woods. But a new edition this fall promises a fresh and modern take: the words are by Stephen King and the illustrations from the archives of the late Maurice Sendak, who had worked on a 1990s opera adaptation. Warns King in the book’s introduction: “You will say that I have taken liberties with the story told by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm — I have, and I don’t apologize.” (Sept. 2)

“Mother Mary Comes to Me,” Arundhati Roy

This cover image released by Scribner shows “Mother Mary Comes to Me” by Arundhati Roy. (Scribner via AP)

Arundhati Roy’s memoir offers anguished tribute to her longtime tormentor and heroine: her late mother, Mary Roy, the educator and activist who founded a renowned high school in India and otherwise rarely missed a chance to disparage but still inspire her famous daughter. “I had constructed myself around her,” the author writes. “I had grown into the peculiar shape that I am to accommodate her. I had never wanted to defeat her, never wanted to win. I had always wanted her to go out like a queen.” (Sept. 2)

“The Wilderness,” Angela Flournoy

This cover image released by Mariner shows “The Wilderness” by Angela Flournoy. (Mariner via AP)

Angela Flournoy’s acclaimed debut, “The Turner House,” was set around an aging family home in Detroit. In “The Wilderness,” she traces the cross-country lives of five Black women from youth to middle age. The author also offers a mini-tour of airports, from the underwhelming sites of landing at Charles de Gaulle in Paris to the view of pyramids in Cairo. A universal truth, she writes: “If the surrounding city has a decent Black population, then a good number of them will be working at the airport.” (Sept. 16)

“107 Days,” Kamala Harris

This cover image released by Simon & Schuster shows “107 Days” by Kamala Harris. (Simon & Schuster via AP)

Publisher Simon & Schuster is promising a compelling campaign memoir from former Vice President Kamala Harris that addresses “everything we would want her to address.” That presumably includes Harris’ thoughts on the mental and physical condition of President Joe Biden, whose decision to withdraw his candidacy led to Harris’ historic, frantic and unsuccessful run against Republican Donald Trump. Harris has called the book, written with the assistance of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Geraldine Brooks, the result of looking back “with candor and reflection.” (Sept. 23)

“The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny,” Kiran Desai

FILE – Indian author Kiran Desai speaks during a reading event in solidarity with Salman Rushdie outside the New York Public Library, Friday, Aug. 19, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Kiran Desai’s first novel in nearly 20 years, since her Booker Prize-winning “The Inheritance of Loss,” is on the Booker longlist and is also a story of contrasting lives: a successful novelist returning to her native India and a New York-based journalist — a copy editor for, of all places, The Associated Press. (Desai has not yet named a real-life counterpart as inspiration.) Separated by geography, they are connected by the will of their families, who would very much like to arrange a marriage. (Sept. 23)

“Softly, As I Leave You,” Priscilla Presley

This image released by Grand Central Publishing shows “Softly, As I Leave You: Life After Elvis” by Priscilla Beaulieu Presley, with Mary Jane Ross. (Grand Central Publishing via AP)

Priscilla Presley has been so defined by her years with Elvis that the 2023 biopic “Priscilla” ends with their breakup in 1973. But readers of “Softly, As I Leave You” will learn that she forged a long and successful career on her own. She was Bobby Ewing’s ex-fiancee, Jenna Wade, in “Dallas” and the love interest for Leslie Nielsen in the “Naked Gun” spoofs. (Presley appears briefly in the current remake.) She even revealed a knack for marketing. When Elvis’ Graceland estate was in disrepair in the years following his 1977 death, she opened it to the public and helped make the property among the world’s most popular tourist destinations. Currently in a legal battle with a former business partner, Presley also writes of enduring other tragedies besides the death of her ex-husband, notably the loss of daughter Lisa Marie Presley two years ago. (Sept. 23)

“We Love You, Bunny,” Mona Awad

Six years ago, Canadian author Mona Awad’s bestselling “Bunny” was praised by Margaret Atwood, among others, for its blend of horror and academic satire set around a clique of creative writing students who call each other “Bunny.” In her follow-up novel, onetime outsider Samantha Heather Mackey is herself a bestselling author and the bunnies have a few things to say about her material. “So funny that you described me as a maniacal hair braider,” one of them tells her. “I laughed until I cried blood.” (Sept. 23)

“The Impossible Fortune,” Richard Osman

Richard Osman poses for photographers upon arrival at the screening of the film ‘The Thursday Murder Club’ on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, in London. (Photo by Millie Turner/Invision/AP)

Richard Osman is an all-around success story, an author, producer and personality who has been a fixture for years in British television. He now enjoys critical acclaim and millions of sales as the creator of the “Thursday Murder Club” mystery novels, in which four pensioners in a retirement community take on cases new and old. The fifth in the series, “The Impossible Fortune,” blends wedding plans and a sudden disappearance that has Osman’s sleuths in search of answers. (Sept. 30)

“Shadow Ticket,” Thomas Pynchon

Thomas Pynchon’s latest novel is his first in more than a decade. Now 88, the author most famous for the epic “Gravity’s Rainbow” has rarely settled for a simple storyline. Like his comic novel “Inherent Vice,” there’s a detective at the center of the narrative, one Hicks McTaggart, who will “find himself also entangled with Nazis, Soviet agents, British counterspies, swing musicians, practitioners of the paranormal, outlaw motorcyclists, and the troubles that come with each of them.” (Oct. 7)

“Unfettered,” John Fetterman

This book cover image released by Crown shows “Unfettered” by John Fetterman. (Crown via AP)

Few Washington legislators are more recognizable than Sen. John Fetterman, the 6-foot-8-inch, hoodie-wearing Pennsylvania Democrat whose physical and mental health struggles and his battles with both Republicans and his own party have kept him in the news since he ran for the Senate in 2022. His publisher, Crown, is calling “Unfettered” a “raw and visceral” and “unapologetic account of his unconventional life.” (Nov. 11)