Classroom Location:
Lamborn Valley School
15495 Black Bridge Road
Paonia, CO 81428

The classroom 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 great natural foods grocery store that specializes in local foods, and the Lamborn Ladle, which offers SEI workshop participant an incredible meal plan. (See the Food category for more information.) In addition, the Old River Road Trading Post provides offers camping and lodging for SEI students. (See the Lodging category for more information.) They also have wind and PV systems on-site.

For a map of the area, click here. Please note that the road marked "Vorys Rd" on Mapquest has changed to "Willow Road."

For directions to the classroom from SEI’s campus, please click here.

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 delicious 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, mountain 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

For the mountain bikers in the class, there are great trails directly across from the classroom. Ask for further information when you arrive.

Class Details:

Class will run from approximately 9:00 am to 5:00 pm (or 5:30) each day of class. Please plan to arrive at the classroom no later than 8:45 on the first day so that the instructors can check you into the class. Lunch will be from approximately 12:30-1:30 pm each day, in addition to a short morning and afternoon break. Timing may vary slightly depending on the workshop.

• The PV Lab Week consists of a ½ day in the classroom and then 4½ days doing hands-on work at our PV Lab Yard.
• The PV Design and Installation (2 week Women’s and Co-ed) workshop consists of 5½ days of classroom lecture and then 4½ days doing hands-on work at our PV Lab Yard.
• The Advanced PV: Design Criteria and NEC Compliance consists of 5 days of classroom lecture with tours.
• The Designing and Building Natural Homes, the Residential Wind, and Straw Bale Construction and Natural Plasters workshops all consist of a mixture of classroom lecture and hands-on labs.

We will be offering the NABCEP Entry Level 'Certificate of Knowledge'  test after each of our Paonia-based PV Design and Installation, Advanced PV and PV Lab Week workshops. The test, which consists of 60 multiple choice questions, takes 2 hours and takes place after class on Friday from 6-8pm. The cost of the test is $100. Students must register in advance with the SEI main office (call 970.963.8855). For more information on the NABCEP Entry Level Certification, please see their website at www.nabcep.org.

Transportation and Travel:

Closest Airports:
Montrose Regional Airport (MTJ)—53 miles from the classroom.
Walker Field Airport in Grand Junction (GJT)—78 miles away.
Aspen-Pitkin County Airport (ASE)—85 miles away.
Denver International Airport (DEN)—5 hour drive from the classroom.

Rental Cars:  As a note, there is no public transportation from any of the airports to Paonia and SEI staff will NOT pick you up at the airport. However, once you get to Paonia, the classroom and SEI Campus are within biking distance of each other and of downtown. SEI has bikes to loan to students on a first come, first served basis.

We highly encourage participants to arrange carpools. Craigslist.com offers a great rideboard for the Colorado Western Slope area (click to following links). This is a public program, so anyone can post rides offered and needed. Make sure to indicate your departure point and specific destination in the posting.

For a list of rental car agencies and directions from each airport, please click on the respective links:
Montrose Airport Rental Car Agencies and Directions
Walker Field Airport Rental Car Agencies and Directions
Aspen-Pitkin County Airport Rental Car Agencies and Directions
Denver Airport Rental Car Agencies and Directions

Bus Stations: There is a Greyhound Station at 51171 Highway 6 and 24, Glenwood Springs, CO, which is approximately 70 miles from the classroom.

Train Stations: There is also an Amtrak Station at 413 7th St, Glenwood Springs, CO, which is approximately 70 miles from the classroom, and a station in Grand Junction, CO, which is approximately 70 miles from the classroom.

Nearby Lodging: Paonia offers a wide range of quality lodging options, to meet any budget. Click here for a list of bed and breakfasts, motels, and public camping in Paonia. In addition, we have a lengthy list of rooms, guest houses, and personal camping options for rent from local Paonians. If you are interested in sharing space with a local person, then please email Kathy Swartz at kswartz@solarenergy.org and she will send you an electronic copy of this list. Also included on this list is the contact information and description of the rooms that the Trading Post has available, as well as camping.

As a note, there is NO camping or housing available at our Paonia Campus.

Food:The Lamborn Ladle, which is the restaurant next to the classroom, offers SEI participants in workshops that are 5 days or longer an incredible meal plan. The meal plan consists each week of 5 breakfasts, 5 lunches, and 2 dinners. The cost is $130 per person per week.

They specialize in foods that are not only delicious, but incorporate local, organic ingredients. Students in the past have raved over the quality and quantity of the food. Breakfasts include some combination of pancakes, French toast, omelets, oatmeal, turkey sausage or bacon, granola, yogurts, fruits, juices and milk. (They do not serve coffee or caffeinated beverages so bring your own.) Lunches, which are vegetarian, are Mexican Mondays, Asian Tuesdays, Italian Wednesdays, Indian Thursdays, and Mediterranean Fridays. There is also a full salad bar as well. Dinners, which have both meat and vegetarian options, may include salmon, chicken, a Thanksgiving feast, soups, etc., as well as lots of side dishes, and their famous desserts.

We encourage students to participate in the meal plan as it’s a great opportunity to network with fellow students and SEI staff. Plus, it’s convenient as it’s right next to the classroom. Please note that you must sign up for the whole meal plan and cannot be credited if you miss a meal. The Lamborn Ladle requires a minimum number of participants, so you must register in advance!

In order to give the cooks a break throughout the summer, the meal plan will not be offered during the following Paonia workshops:
May Advanced PV
July Advanced PV
July Solar water pumping
August Advanced PV
Sept. Strawbale

If you decide not to sign up for the meal plan or are looking for options on the weekends or nights when dinner is not offered, then try some of Paonia’s restaurants. For a pdf listing of restaurants in town (in order of distance from the classroom) from an insider’s perspective, click here.

Weather: The weather in Paonia in the summer should be in the 80s or 90s during the day and then drop into the 50s or 60s at night. Though Paonia is semi-arid, there’s always the possibility of rain, especially in early July and September. For a more detailed look at the weather, go to weather.com.

What to Bring:

Please bring the following to the PV Lab Week, PV D&I, and Advanced PV Workshops:
Pen and pencil
Paper for notetaking
A calculator (with trig functions for Advanced)
Black, red and green colored pencils for schematics

Please bring the following to the Wind, DBNH and Straw Bale Workshops:
Pen and pencil
Paper for notetaking

Special Notes:
There are lots of great events happening in Paonia and nearby towns throughout the summer:
-North Fork River River Awareness Float from Paonia to Hotchkiss: check the website for the May date
-2008 North Fork Bluegrass and Roots Music Festival in Hotchkiss: June 13-15
-Cherry Days in Paonia: July 1-4
-Top of the Rockies BMW Motorcycle Rally: July 24-26
-Dreamtime Festival: check the website for the mid-July date

Also check out the following stores while you’re in town:
-Delicious Orchards on Rte. 133. They have a full selection of local, organic wines and liquors, as well as seasonal fruit (like peaches in July and August!).
-The Creamery in Hotchkiss: They display the art, including jewelry, pottery, paintings, furniture, etc., of over 90 local artists. A great place to pick up gifts.
-You can also purchase a variety of books and videos on renewable energy and sustainable technology, and SEI merchandise, such T-shirts, Pathfinders, and Kill-a-Watt meters in our office.