While heading out to get breakfast, the same friend called to tell me the Maroon Bells were awesome today and I should try to go there when I'm in Aspen. He said something about a bus that takes you to the mountains... after thinking about it for a bit, I thought to myself "Hellz no!". When I go on a road trip, I can't handle running on someone else's schedule, even if it is just a bus. (Plus, it turns out I couldn't get out of Aspen soon enough anyways...).
I headed up 70 West and through the Eisenhower Tunnel, the highest highway pass in the country. It's not really very nice looking, but it's cool! Once you cross through it, you're on the other side of the Continental Divide.
My trip took me through Silverthorne, which had some very pretty colors.
I passed through Leadville and found myself surrounded by snow covered peaks on all sides, half visible through the thick blanket of clouds that was hanging over the town. I decided that I was having fun driving even though it was cloudy out, so I headed through town and toward Independence Pass and Aspen.At the intersection of 90 and 82 was an area called Twin Lakes. Somewhere nearby was a campground which boasted a view of Mt. Elbert, the tallest peak in Colorado and the tallest mountain in the Rockies in North America. I took a bunch of pictures of the mountains in the area... I have no idea which (if any) is Mt. Elbert, but it might be there!!
After taking a plethora of pictures in this area, I headed out once again. I think this was my favorite part of the drive: I love the contrast of the gray clouds against the sharp white of the mountain peaks, and the warm yellows and browns and grays of the plant life below them.
There were a few moments when the sun broke through the clouds and I spoke to the sky, asking it to please let the sun out so it could fry up all the clouds and share the beauty of the place with everyone passing through. Though it was beautiful, I'm sure there were other distant peaks that were enshrouded by the clouds and hidden from sight.Despite my request, the weather continued to worsen as I approached the Independence Pass section of Route 82. Eventually I ran into a giant snow storm...
...and was really excited! My first snow of the season, and my first ever snow in the mountains! I could see the hazy outlines of the mountain peaks surrounding me as I traveled along the pass, and smiled with amusement at the "Scenic Overlook" turnoffs. I tried peeking to see what I was overlooking... the answer was cloud 3 feet from my face.Once the road began to descend toward Aspen I left the clouds behind and began to see some very beautiful colors. I was kind of saddened by the lack of sun, because the aspens along the road didn't take on that golden coccoon feel that they had last weekend. But they were beautiful just the same.
In some of my blogs, I have talked about the shrubby plants around here and the color that their leaves add to the environment. Out here in the fall, it seems like the rusty reds and oranges, which in New England are contributed by the maple trees, are a product of these shrubby plants. There is a little line of them running up the mountain in this picture.
During some parts of my drive down the pass there were no other cars visible, as they were hidden beyond the bends in the road. I liked these moments when I had the colors all to myself.
I drove through Aspen, which is probably the most aptly named town I have ever encountered. The place was literally crawling with the trees, all of them in various stages of colorful transformation. It was about lunchtime when I reached the town but I didn't stop, because Aspen and Vail remind me of my ex and for that reason I hate them... very mature and well-adjusted of me, I know. I think that as my anger toward him lessens, so will my dislike of these places. I still have some work to do.... I'd love to go back to Aspen someday, maybe when I'm dating someone. It would be a really neat place to go away for the weekend.Driving toward Glenwood Springs (one of our stops on Adventure Day), I passed this beautiful mountain. I have no idea what its name is, but I loved it instantly.
Once I reached 70 I was excited to see Glenwood Canyon again. What a beautiful drive! The trees inside the canyon were still very green, only a few were barely beginning to show their fall colors. That was a really interesting thing I learned on my drive; in some areas the trees were way past peak and were actually bare, and in some the trees hadn't begun turning at all.The trip back was relaxing and uneventful, except for my emotions being triggered from my brush with Aspen. These next few pictures were taken fairly close to Vail.
So that was my Colorado foliage tour, and this time I actually brought my camera! I don't think the rain and snow really affected my trip very much, other than making me very happy to be in my car with the heat on. Plus the snow was a fun adventure. : )
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