All That Glitters...

All that glitters may not be gold, but in the Colorado high country at this time of year it's impossible to miss the spectacular harbinger of winter that is the changing of the Aspen. I grew up in the northeast where the fall colors are truly magnificent and nature's palette is far broader than the primarily gold that colors our mountainsides but all in all I'll take a crisp, cool fall day in Colorado staring at blazing gold trees anytime.

I have the luxury of being able to be in the high country when most folks are tied to their desks and am free to explore minus the crowds. The last couple of days I spent wandering the lower reaches of Independence Pass around the small hamlet of Twin Lakes. Every year it's anyone's guess as to when the Aspen colors will peak. Driving through Leadville I was afraid that I had missed the best of the Fall colors as the Aspen trees at the higher elevations seem to be past their prime but dropping down towards Twin Lakes the colors got brighter and more spectacular. Twin Lakes is the eastern portal to the road to Aspen over Independence Pass  and offers a spectacular juxtaposition of the deep gold color of the Aspen against the deep blues of the lakes with the backdrop of the mountains highlighted by our clear Colorado skies.

I drove to Denver on Friday and of course noticed the crowds of folks heading the oppposite way up I-70 on their weekend pilgrimage and know that the parking lots, pullouts, and trails will be mobbed at the most scenic spots. For those of you unwilling, or unable, to brave the crowded high country this weekend here is a sample of what this year's foliage show...