On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado: Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures

We just returned from a dog-friendly trip to Grand Junction, a town of 62,000 on the Western Slope in Mesa County. The area is great for a getaway with Fido, or in our case, Fritzi. Not only was our hotel dog-friendly, but there are dog parks, and trails everywhere. Well-behaved dogs are even allowed in some downtown stores and on many restaurant and brewery patios. With a lot of sunshine every year, and two major rivers flowing through town (Colorado and Gunnison rivers), it’s a canine paradise.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (1)
Our ride!

Despite Grand Junction’s apparent love of all things Fido, we did not expect Fritzi to be allowed on our outing with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. We were wrong.

The outing was scheduled for our first full day in Grand Junction. After a yummy lunch at Cafe Sol, we were scheduled for a Polaris side by side RZR ride with Lewis Baker, owner of Adrenaline Driven Adventures. Some of you probably know what Polaris RZR means, but I wasn’t quite sure. I didn’t even know what OHV stood for. Turns out, OHV describes an off-highway vehicle, and Adrenaline Driven Adventures has a lot of them.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (9)
Put the petal to the medal!

The company provides a handful of outing types. Guests can take Polaris Slingshots through the Colorado National Monument or even take a wine tour in an side by side RZR. There are endless possibilities available at Adrenaline Drive Adventures, but we were there for a ride along.

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Being a complete newbie, I had little idea of what to expect, and not to be cliche, I was in for the ride of my life. We jumped in Baker’s truck and headed up to Bangs Canyon.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (3)
Feeling way cooler than we are.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (2)

Baker was at the wheel, I was next to him and Ryan and Fritzi were in the back. Yep, dogs can ride in the RZRs and Baker’s own black Goldendoodle often comes along. To say I was surprised is an understatement. I was also nervous. Not only because the dog was in the back, but I had heard Baker mention roller coasters and I never go on roller coasters. Plus, I’ll admit to being a bit of a wimp when it comes to certain types of adventures, especially those that include being very high up and those that include going very fast.

Before I knew it, we were off. I did a lot of nervous giggling at first. Suddenly, we came to a stop in front of a wall. It was a 5-foot high wall of rock. I thought Baker was parking the RZR so we could get out and look around, but instead of stopping, Lewis drove straight up and over the wall. We did this several times. I was gobsmacked.

This demonstration of the machine’s capabilities and Baker’s skills as a driver put me at ease and I began to enjoy myself as we cruised down a rocky road.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (7)

Baker stops several times for photos and a stretch. He also brought along water bottles which was convenient because nearing the end of the ride, I was parched. It might have been because my mouth was open during the ride due to absolute amazement. Although, I had been trying to keep it closed because our RZR threw up mud like popping popcorn and I was afraid a piece of this sticky, clay-like mud would land in my mouth. It definitely landed everywhere else including my clothing, face and sunglasses.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (10)
Everything and everyone got muddy.

Wear something you don’t mind getting dirty on this ride because you will get dirty, especially if it’s just rained.

Fritzi was a trooper. She never acted like she wanted to jump out, although when we did pause for photos or water she was happy to get out and run around looking for sticks. She started to get the knack of balancing in the RZR, although Ryan kept a helpful arm around her.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (12)

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (13)
At points along the way she tried to sleep, but that never worked out.

The scenery was filled with scrub oak, boulders, blue sky and clouds. At one point, we drove along next to the Gunnison River. This is a wide-open, wild country, and the locals take full advantage of their freedom. Approximately 76% of the land in Mesa County is public, controlled primarily by the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management. And the County is huge – the size of Rhode Island and Delaware combined!

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (5)

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (4)

I am truly amazed at what these vehicles can do and while it’s probably super fun to operate one, as a newbie, it was great to ride with a driver who knows his stuff.  And, some outings are dog-friendly, as we found out.

On the Road in Grand Junction, Colorado Ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures. HeidiTown (11)
Thank you, Lewis Baker! I’ll be talking about this for years to come.

Book a ride with Adrenaline Driven Adventures at adacgi.com and be sure to check out their YouTube Channel. If you want to take along your furry friend, please ask, as some rides may be off-limits to canines.

See our full Grand Junction Itinerary at A COLO-Road Trip With Blogger HeidiTown & Her Furry Friend.

Travel in collaboration with Visit Grand Junction.

3 Comments


  1. Wait. So you didn’t even get to drive it? That doesn’t seem like very much fun.

    Reply

    1. A ride-along with perfect for me because I would have been so timid. You CAN do an outing where you drive your own RZR, but honestly, if you’ve never done it (like me) this was a good introduction to what a RZR can do in the hands of a capable driver.

      Reply

  2. Enjoyed the post Heidi. Living in the small town of Paonia for 13 years, we were in Grand Junction almost every week for shopping, movies, and dining. The area is a fabulous place to vacation with Grand Mesa and Colorado Monument being at the top of the list. Thanks again for posting your adventures. Take care and stay safe

    Reply

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