Classroom Portion of the Workshop
This workshop is being held in Paonia, Colorado. The classroom portion of the workshop will take place at the Lamborn Valley School in a strawbale building, which is approximately 1.5 miles from downtown Paonia and 2 miles from SEI's Paonia campus. The Lamborn Valley School is part of a larger intentional community that includes the Old River Road Trading Post, which is a health food market, a restaurant specializing in locally-grown organic foods, and homes. They have both wind and PV systems on-site.

The address for the Lamborn Valley School is: 15495 Black Bridge Rd, Paonia, CO 81428. For a Paonia map to the classroom please click on Paonia Map. Please note that the map refers to Black Bridge Road as 4175 Drive.

Download directions from the SEI campus to the Old River Trading Post and Lamborn Valley School

Hands-On Portion of the Workshop
The hands-on portion of the class will be held in or around Paonia. Further details will be forcoming.

You can also purchase a variety of books and videos on renewable energy and sustainable technology, and SEI merchandise in our office.
The address for the SEI Paonia campus is: 39845 Matthews Lane, Paonia, CO 81428.

Directions from SEI's Paonia campus to Lamborn Valley School
Turn left onto Matthews Lane. Turn left on 1st Street and then make a quick left onto Grand Avenue. Turn right at 5th Street and travel for .2 miles. Turn left onto N. Fork Avenue, which becomes 7th Street. 7th Street becomes Black Bridge Road.

Transportation into Paonia
Airports
The two closest airports to Paonia are the Montrose airport (1.5 hours away) and the Grand Junction airport (1.75 hours away). Both airports have connections in Denver and there are airport shuttles from both airports, however they are rather expensive. There are car rental agencies at both locations.

Directions
From Carbondale: Take Highway 133 south of Carbondale over McClure Pass. 60 miles from Carbondale there are two entrances to Paonia. Turn left at the second (west) entrance (at the Conoco station/ Stop & Save). Travel ½ mile and turn right on to Niagara (Napa auto parts will be on the corner). Travel .1 miles and yield to your right onto Mathews Lane. Go .9 of a mile and Solar Energy International will be on your right (Yellow House) 39845 Mathews Lane.

From Grand Junction: Take US-50 E towards Delta. At Delta turn left onto CO-92 E. At Hotchkiss, take a slight left onto Hwy 133. Follow 133 for 7.9 miles, and turn right at the sign for Paonia (at the Conoco station / Stop & Save). Travel ½ mile and turn right on to Niagara (Napa auto parts will be on the corner). Travel .1 of a mile and yield to your right on to Mathews Lane. Go .9 of a mile and Solar Energy International will be on your right (Yellow House) 39845 Mathews Lane.

What to Bring
For the classroom portion of the workshop you may want to have a calculator and a pen or pencil. We will be doing lots of design calculations so these tools will be very handy. The Paonia weather during the summer is hot and dry. Since we will be doing outdoor labs during the week, we recommend that you bring a baseball hat or wide-brimmed hat, sunscreen and a water bottle. We encourage you to bring your own tools, but it isn't necessary. Tools you may want to include are a wire stripper, wire cutter, tape measure, Phillips screw driver, flat head screw driver, needle-nose pliers, pencil, utility knife. Please label tools with your name or some distinguishing mark ahead of time.

Food
The Old River Trading Post is offering an on-site meal plan to every student, regardless of where they are staying. It is available for $100 for 5 days, Monday through Friday, which includes 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, 2 dinners. It is very highly recommended. The food is delicious, organic vegetarian fare, though some meat and fish may also be served. Other dietary restrictions will be accommodated if we are notified ahead of time. Fees for the meal plan will be collected by the SEI office prior to the workshop start date. Please register for this as soon as possible to allow the cooks time to plan.

For a sample menu from the Trading Post click here.

In addition, there are several other restaurants in downtown Paonia. For a list of these restaurants, please click here.

Lodging
There are numerous lodging options available to meet your budget.
. For a list of hotels, inns, bed and breakfasts, and camping options in Paonia, please click here.
. For a list of housing options in the surrounding towns of Hotchkiss (8 miles from Paonia) and Crawford (20 miles from Paonia), please click here.
. There are also local people who rent out extra rooms/guest houses to SEI participants (starting at $50 per week). If you are interested in this option, please email kswartz@solarenergy.org for list of available rental rooms.

Recreation in and around Paonia
Come and enjoy the wonderful small town of Paonia, Colorado, which is nestled at the base of Mt. Lamborn. The town is only minutes away from hiking on quiet trails on BLM or National Forest Land. Paonia is fortunate to be the home of many organic orchards, farms, vineyards and ranches that supply its residents with ample amounts of organic cherries, peaches, apples, pears, vegetables, flowers, wines and meats, which are sold by several stores in town. In addition, there are coffee shops with good organic coffee and baked goods and several restaurants offering reasonably priced healthy and tasty meals. Bring your family and plan to spend some extra time in the area. You will soon see why KVNF, High Country News, Western Slope Environmental Resource Council, and Chaco Sandals decided to call Paonia "home"!

There are many recreational activities in Paonia and the surrounding Western Slope of Colorado. Hiking trails, biking trails, fly-fishing, rafting and kayaking are only some of the outdoor sports that are available in the area. Here are some links to various recreational areas that can be enjoyed:
. North Fork River Improvement Association (NFRIA) Recreation webpage
. Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
. Orvis Hot Springs
. Colorado National Monument

Other nearby destinations....The town of Crested Butte is just 45 minutes from Paonia and offers more outdoor activities, entertainment, shopping and gourmet dining. The Historic town of Marble is also 45 minutes northeast of Paonia. The town of Marble offers local arts and crafts, the old marble quarry, self guided walking tours, jeep tours, etc...

For mountain bikers consider checking out a world famous biking area in Fruita, Colorad, which is considered the undiscovered "Moab" of mountain biking. Check out this article on Fruita mountain biking: One Track Mind and Grand Junction Book Cliffs Trail System.

If you are coming from sea-level please be aware of the higher elevation, and do not attempt any strenuous exercise until you are acclimated. And remember to drink plenty of water.

For current Paonia area weather conditions please click here.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us.