Autumn Aspens in Colorado (2006)

Friday, September 22

Drove from St. Louis to Salina, KS. Most exciting news was missing the bad storms that were hitting the St. Louis area from the southwest. I heard softball to baseball sized hail so glad I missed that.

Saturday, September 23

Finished Kansas but was forced to see it in the daylight. Most of the way to Denver was cloudy and drizzly -- kind of dampened my mood. Didn't even see the mountains until almost there. Lots of snow in the higher elevations; looked as if Copper Mtn and Vail could have been opened for skiing. Encouraged by the fire yellow aspens interspersed with the darken evergreens.

Stayed on I-70 to Glenwood Springs then headed south on 82 then 133 to the turnoff for Kebler Pass Road. Very pretty mountain drive.


Camp Site

Kebler Pass road was to be my first "off road" adventure, although everything I read indicated that any 2-wheeler could easily manage it -- true. Even saw some big RV's on the road. It's wide in most places, pretty well maintained, and not real steep anywhere. After gaining some altitude (about 8000 feet or so), I was back in the snow, and the road became quite wet and muddy due to the melt. Still very manageable. I was looking for a turnoff to Lost Lake, my intended destination for the evening.

Unlike the main road, the "path" to Lost Lake was very narrow with only two tire tracks to guide me. Obviously, at least a few people had been back and forth during the day. Almost there, I ran into a small herd of cows (about 8 of them). It was fun playing cowboy, herding them up the road.

And here I am in my chosen camp site. Notice the boots -- glad (very glad) I brought them. Dinner was Pad Thai (boiling water over a bunch of freeze-dried stuff in a foil bag).


Lost Lake Slough

Here is one evening photograph I took before retiring, just to give you an idea of what the camp site looked like facing away from my truck -- not too shabby of a scene. By the end of the evening, just as the sun was setting, blue sky broke out and it started to clear. After nasty weather all the way from mid Kansas, this was an optimistic sign.

After taking a few shots before getting too dark, I crawled into my "camper" and into my sleeping bag. By 8:00, it was totally dark and I was nodding off.

Sunday, September 24


Lost Lake Slough -- Sunrise

I woke up a few times during the night with a slight headache, but at 9653', some altitude adjustment is to be expected. I woke up for good about 5:00 am but it was difficult to see what was happening outside, even with my glasses on. I hadn't counted on all of the windows icing up! Visions of a ten-foot overnight snowfall completing burying me danced in my head, but I could see nothing. I finally crawled back out of the sleeping bag about 45 minutes later to freezing cold temperatures, so I pulled on as many layers as I could find. I started up the truck to apply a little heat to the situation and the car thermometer indicated an outside temperature 21 degrees. Brrrr.

Breakfast consisted of instant oatmeal and coffee -- boiling water again was the key. While finishing my coffee, I set up the camera and tripod as the mountain in front of me began to be illuminated with the day's first light. The coffee was quickly finished, but the photography continued for well over an hour. I had intended to hike a couple miles to another nearby lake, but the trail was covered with a foot of snow. Next visit.

During the night's freezing temperatures, much of the lake's water, especially close to the shores, froze. The early morning sunlight reflecting onto the ice from the distant mountain added an interesting dynamic to my first photograph of the day.


Lost Lake Slough in Full Morning Light

As the sun continued to rise, the snow glistened like thousands of diamonds.


Iced Aspen Leaf

Road to and from Lost Lake

I probably took another hour to drive the short distance to the main road. There were many photo opportunities along the way.


Kebler Pass

Back on the main road, the snow was nearly gone due to traffic. It was a scenic and easy ride to the reach Kebler Pass, where I had to stop for a "wish you were here photo for friends and family back home. I know you can't read it, but that's my Budweiser hat on!


Irwin Lake and Campground

Irwin Lake is situated towards the end of the trail off the main road a couple of miles, but well worth the detour. I met a lady who was the "camp hostess." She and her husband were getting ready to pull their camper out and close the campground for the season. I mentioned that I had stayed at the Lost Lake campground the previous evening, and she responded they were going to close that site, too. I got in and out with no time to spare. She went on to say that is is not unusual to get some snow in the high country in September, but the amount of snow after the recent storm was very unusual. All the snow was expected to be gone within the week.

Monday, September 25.


Taylor Reservoir

Because of the wonderful hospitality of the Yancik family, I was able to stay in the Crested Butte area at one of the cabins they were renting at Whitewater Resort. (Thanks, Karen! A rendezvous here is so much better than at work in St. Louis. I understand why your family has been going to this resort for years.)

Up at 5:30 to arrive at Taylor Reservoir by dawn's first light. It was a balmy 28 degrees this morning.

Most of my day was planned for the Paradise Divide loop north and a bit west of Crested Butte. I started on Gothic Road to see if I could make it all the way to Emerald Lake and perhaps further to Schofield Pass, at which point I could return on Slate River Road. With all the snow, however, bets were placed that I wouldn't make it all the way around.


On Gothic Road Headed to Emerald lake

I made it to an overlook at Emerald Lake (Karen's favorite lake, or at least one of them). My tripod was out and I was getting ready to shoot when a Jeep approached from up the mountain. The driver (his family is from Webster Groves -- small world) said he made it to the pass but it was very snowy with large ruts in the road. He could barely find a place to turn around, and he needed one of his passengers to help. He advised that I go no further, and still being a wimp, I took his advice. I was parked at somewhat of a wide spot in the road, so he helped turn around. I took a few shots than headed back down the hill.


Easy, but muddy road at this point

Emerald lake

Slate River Road

It was still early in the day, so thought I would try a second road which could end up in a loop drive. Washington Gulch parallels Gothic Road on the other side of some mountains, but doesn't go quite as far. Turned out that Washington Gulch was the roughest road so far, a real 4-wheeler. Yee-hah! Towards the top, it got snowier and muddier, and I had to execute one sharp, steep hairpin turn in the mud and snow. Ok, my knuckles were a bit white, but the Honda complained not at all. I ascended in snow, mud, and water puddles to about 11,000 feet at the top. According to my GPS unit, I was not on a road anymore, but the map showed a dotted line headed in the right direction, meeting the other side of the Paradise loop on the other side. There were tire tracks in front me, so at least someone else had recently made the trip. Full speed ahead! Well, maybe not full speed -- it was pretty slick.

I trusted my Garmin GPS, showing the loop road ever so close, and I made it without incident. Turning right on the loop road would have taken me to the pass I missed from my first attempt, but all the snow was too much, so I turned left to head back down hill on Slate River Road.


miles of uphill on a bicycle

Glad I had a chance to relax, but this couple obviously didn't understand the concept. Even with this picture, it is difficult to explain what was still in front of them, never mind what they had to do to get this far. (They have family in Kirkwood! Small world again on the same day.)

At this point, it was probably about 6-7 uneventful miles back to Crested Butte. Whew, what a day on the roads! Without the snow, I belive the driving would have been in the "easy" category

Hope to meet Karen, her parents, her cousin, and the managers of the Whitewater Resort for a chicken dinner tonight in Crested Butte. If I can, I'll stay one more night here, then it's off to Owl Creek Pass. That's about the extent of my plans at this minute.

Tuesday, September 26

Another early rise to head south to Gunnison, then west towards the turn off to Owl Creek Pass Road. The morning's adventure would take me 42 miles south over the pass then west to Hiway 550 just north of Ridgway. The best part of the trip was in Uncompahgre National Forest. As on previous trips, the snow got deeper and the road steeper at about 9,000 feet. Following are a few of the morning pictures.


Silver Jack Reservoir

Silver Jack Reservoir is just inside the National Forest. There was a large parking lot off the road with a small trail leading to this view. I had not yet reached the snowline, but the place was deserted.

I finished the morning trek over Owl Creek Pass just in time for lunch in Ridgway, Colorado at the True Grit Cafe, featured in the film of the same name. Lots of John Wayne pictures hung on the wall and they served a good Southwestern chicken sandwich.


near Dallas divide

The afternoon's goal was to traverse Last Dollar Road, which begins just over Dallas Divide on Hiway 62 west of Ridgway. Guess what . . . more aspens! Being on a real highway, there were a number of cars in turn-out parking areas. Many people were photographing the incredible scenery whether with simple point-and-shoot cameras or with more professional outfits. Not knowing how long it would take to traverse Last Dollar Road, I was hesitant to stay on the highway for too long.



On-coming traffic on Last Dollar Road

According to my pre-reading, Last Dollar Road was suppose to be an easy ride, sutiable for 2-wheel drive passenger cars -- much like Kebler Pass Road. The only caution I read was that it could get impassable, even to 4-wheel vehicles when wet due to the clay surface of the road. Turning off of Highway 62, the road was dry and no snow was not to be seen. However, I had been conditioned to expect snow when reaching an altitude of about 9,000 feet. Let's see -- melting snow and clay road. Hmmm. Well, it was a beautiful warm, sunny afternoon at this point, so onward.

The initial road traversed farm lands lined with rustic split-rail fences. Eventually, the road started ascending into forest areas where, sure enough, snow became a factor. The shade from the trees along with colder temperatures slowed the melt, but I took it slowly as I followed the two tire-track path. My knuckles whitened as a came around an uphill curve and drove past a small pickup truck that had slid off the road backwards to my left. There was no one in the truck, which was good as I would not have stopped on the hill anyway. I can imagine what I would have done if someone had approached in the opposite direction. That fact that as an uphill driver I would have the right-of-way, would have been of little comfort.

I soon made it to the highest point of the trail where I pulled off to relax in the sun with a couple others who were also enjoying the day. The remainder of Last Dollar Road was mostly downhill and in the sun, so there was no further excitement except to enjoy the mountain scenery.


View from the pass

Last Dollar Road at the southern end hits Highway 145 right by the Telluride airport, just a couple miles from town.


The road down

Without specific plans, I stopped at the Telluride visitor center to get a recommendation for a place to spend the evening. The Victorian Inn was a recommendation, and they had a room at a good off-season price, so the decision was easy. When checking in, I asked the clerk about road conditions up and over Ophir Pass, my intended destination for Wednesday. He made a call and reported that although not technically closed, one steep switch-back section that is shaded for most of the day still had ice. The pass was reported to be dangerous. Hmmm . . . time to devise a new plan.

The plan would have to wait for awhile as I took some time to walk up and down Colorado Ave, Telluride's main drag. The small town is full of interesting shops and restaurants with well-maintained Victorian houses on either end of town and along side streets. Seeing some property prices on real estate office windows, it was easy to keep walking.

Wednesday, September 27


Bridal Veil Falls, Telluride, CO

This was to be my last day of adventure.

I began by driving a short distance through Telluride to see how far I could ascend to Bridal Veil Falls on Black Bear Pass road, one of the most difficult 4-wheel treks in Colorado, or so I have read. I didn't go up very far at all . . . just on the "easy" part below the falls. Above the falls, the road is one-way towards Telluride coming from Ouray, CO. Sections of the easy part were difficult enough for me and my stock Pilot, but I got close enough for some telephoto shots of the falls. Mission accomplished!


Black Bear Pass Road near Telluride

 

To continue my journies, I took a National Forest gravel road that paralleled Hiway 145 going south from Telluride. It was a beautiful dry drive with lots of photo ops.

 


The Ophir Post Office

The gravel road returned to the hiway directly across from the road to the little town of Ophir. Conitnuing on from Ophir, the road continues across Ophir Pass to Hiway 550 just south of Ouray. This was the pass I was discouraged from taking, but as I did with Black Bear Pass road leading to Bridal Veil Falls, I wanted to see what this road was like, possibly up to the tree line.


Ophir Pass Road

Past the town of Ophir, the road became rougher and I decided not to try to get to the tree line after all. I did have the opportunity to get a shot of the switchbacks headed up the mountain. When I return to try this road again (without all the snow), I will rent a jeep for this road.

Turned out, this was the last photo of the trip -- a reminder of a reason to return.

Thanks for joining me on this adventure!