Outskirts of [Mammoth Cave National Park](https://www.nps.gov/maca/index.htm)
The Mid-West was a whirlwind of travel. 8 hour riding days, meant enjoying the scenery as much as possible. I have been looking forward to seeing more of Colorado than I had in the past. My hometown friend, Connor, reached out suggesting I visit him, offering me the chance to do so! Little did I know what was in store for me when I got there. Check out my time spent with him making chocolate in Paonia, Colorado!
Some Background…
Connor and I attended the same public school back home, and it wasn’t until recently we had reconnected. It had been years where I hadn’t even seen him. Seeing each other at a local restaurant back home, we caught up for a couple hours. He spoke extensively about his trip to India, and the people and places he had experienced along the way. This was all quite the excitement for me, just planning my trip at the time. I couldn’t wait to get on the road after our conversation!
Off to Paonia!
Already on the road through the United States, I was excited to reach this place. Paonia is a small farming town, full of life and outdoor fun. So far on my trip, Colorado has offered me the best riding I have ever experienced on a motorcycle. The ride to Paonia was no exception to this.
The windy roads, the climbing and descending in elevation in such short bursts? Exhilarating. Seeing a sign for 7% grade on a downhill means downshifting and holding on tight while the weight of the motorcycle took me down the road!
I always question if people become accustomed to the views around them. Along this trip, I ask myself “would I do the same?”. I realize I most likely would! I think back to Boston, and how I take for granted the views around me. It is human nature to become so accustomed to something, you forget it is even there. You take things for granted until you leave and realize what had been there the whole time.
As I arrived, Connor took me to a hot spring that was, well, _REALLY_ hot. Like almost scalding hot. It took some deep breathing to relax into the hot spring, but it was definitely worth it. I didn’t realize how tense my body was until I set into the spring for a few minutes. My body and mind started to go into a deep relaxation. It felt like all my muscles were unwinding, and was amazing to feel after so many consecutive days on the motorcycle.
Chocolatey Goodness
Cooling the cacao beans after baking them.
Connor showed me around town, and brought me to some cool places with live music. One of my favorite parts of the trip? Connor showed me how to make chocolate from raw cacao beans!
Now, I’m more of a food person than one for chocolates, but I enjoyed seeing Connor’s passion at work in the bakery. Taking the time to figure out the small pieces that make this whole process successful! What temperatures range to bake the cacao beans, and for how long. The act of taking the husks off the baked beans, so they don’t go in the chocolate. What percentages of sugar to use depending on what the desired outcome is. All these things and so much more!
Moving Forward
Connor is taking a stab at his own organic, fair trade chocolate company, and decided to share his trade with me in the short amount of time we had. The whole process was truly amazing, and a great lesson on what kind of work goes into it.
Connor has some pretty great ideas in terms of making chocolate with different types of sugar, something I would have never thought of before! One example is him dehydrating dates to make date sugar, the product he would be putting in the chocolate he makes. Genius!
Farewell
Paonia as a whole was a very amazing experience. A small town with lots of love and life. Learning the basics of a new trade, the ideas Connor has about how he is going to run his business and source his raw materials. This hands on method of learning something new was really fun and engaging! I got to see most of town, and feel I will be back to Paonia for a visit in the future.
‘Til next time,
Pete – A Traveling Teacher
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Tags: Chocolate, Colorado, Paonia