Along the road - Penrose Colorado

Penrose Colorado - population 3,500

Driving from Kansas to Colorado was beautiful but  had lots more in store for us. Our goal for the day was another #HarvestHost - Apple Valley Cider Company in Penrose Colorado. south of Colorado Springs As at many Harvest Hosts it took us off the beaten path and provided a personal view of small town life. Kevin, our host does non usually take visitors on weekdays but he was bottling and we were persuasive. 

We watched him bottle as we tasted a variety of ciders - apple, apple/current, apple/cherry, apple/peach, apple-pineapple and brandy.

We asked about Penrose and how it became an apple producing area. It seems that in the time of the Goldrush an enterprising fellow decided that it would be more lucrative to supply the miners than to look for gold himself. He planted and orchard and other fruits and vegetable and was able to ship them via the new railroad to the miners who were delighted to get fresh produce and happy to pay top dollar. 

Sadly there have been a number of very dry years recently coupled with a late frost and the orchards that had been supplying Kevin have been subdivided and sold for housing lots. Sounds like the fate of some of the orchards in New Hampshire. 

Dog of Penrose

While we were considering the menu at the adjacent Pizzeria (we settled on a lovely Pasta Gorgonzola) we met another customer and his poodle. We traded stories about how we both happened to find ourselves in Penrose.