Fall in the Rockies

There is nothing quite like fall in the Rocky Mountains. The days are warm, the nights are cool and the mountains are at their peak (no pun intended). It is my favorite time of year in Colorado and I love to share the beauty of it with others.

Last Sunday we headed out via Honda to cruise the mountains, determined not to miss one of the peak leaf peeping weekends. So into the car went boyfriend, teenager and dog, all because I simply asked if we could! Off we headed up I70, determined to find beautiful patches of aspens changing colors.

We took the road less traveled by heading up the Central City Parkway (http://www.centralcityparkway.com/). At first, I thought we might be a week too early. The trees were just showing a hint of yellow, but nothing like the bursts of color I was seeking. Not to be deterred, we picked up Hwy 119 and headed toward Nederland (http://www.town.nederland.co.us/). On that road, we found what we had been looking for. Gorgeous mountain views, yellowed aspen stands and very little traffic; a perfect combination for the stop-and-go of picture taking.

A little nature lesson... Colorado and Utah are home to the largest segment of aspen trees in the world. We boast enough aspens to cover Rhode Island and Delaware and still have some left over. They turn a beautiful golden color - sometimes with a hint of red - in the fall, altering the landscape of a typical Colorado mountainside.

In Nederland, we stopped for a bite to eat at the popular Whistlers Cafe. Although the day was cool, we opted to sit outside on the patio while the sun shone and so we could leash our Colorado dog to the fence around the patio area. I'm not sure who enjoyed lunch more - us because the food was delish or the dog, because he received love and accolades by the staff, guests and one little girl who went as far as to bring him water in a disposable pan. Talk about customer service! We were impressed. And Jackson (the dog) had a great time.

After lunch, we hopped back into the car, eyeing the front rolling in. Nothing changes quite as rapidly as Colorado weather and this day was no exception. The views were getting even better, but the gray, wind and eventual rain put a damper on the photography efforts at the best stops! We tromped on, knowing it would eventually it would clear out and the rain was to our benefit, as the other leaf peepers would clear out as well.

I made sure to stop at one of my favorite overlooks, a little sad that one of my favorite fall spectacles was not evident. Typically on the peak leaf weekends, there are two young entrepreneurs sitting on the side of the road, selling lemonade and treats. They are social, smart and giving, as a portion of their proceeds always goes to the charities of their choice. They bake everything themselves, handle the sales and generally impress anyone who pauses by their table. I hope their lack of presence was related more to the weather than to anything else!

One of the things I love about Colorado is your round a corner and discover some treasure tucked on the roadside - abandoned mines, wildlife, church steeples... This ride was no disappointment, as we came across all 3!

As we closed in on Lyons, CO, we pulled the car off the road to stretch our legs and walk the dog. The rain was a mist, so felt refreshing as we milled around above the creek. The spot was beautiful, nestled between valley walls with the creek running through. I wish we had stopped there earlier in the afternoon, as I would have enjoyed more than a stroll in that area.

As we headed home, I felt content. While the Rockies don't offer me the colors of my native Appalachians, they are beautiful none-the-less this time of year.

If you are seeking drive options, here is a great site for reference: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/weather/4955659/detail.html

Camping = True Colorado Culture!

Anyone who knows anything about Colorado knows Colorado is an outdoorsmen's (or women's!) state. Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, rock climbing, rafting, hiking, biking and of course camping are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to outdoor activities in this beautiful state.

This weekend was my first camping trip of the season, albeit a little later then in other years. Due to my work schedule (pre-layoff) and vacation schedule (aww, shucks!) I simply haven't made it.

For this trip, we decided to keep it close to home and scooted up Hwy 119 to an area just south of Nederland, CO (famous for it's infamous Frozen Dead Guy Days activities - http://www.nederlandchamber.org/events_fdgd-home.html). Even though we left earlier then in the past, we fell into our usual routine of not being able to find an available campsite where we wanted to go in Golden Gate Canyon State Park (http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/goldengatecanyon) . So we decided to continue our trek along 119 and look for a place to crash. We ended up in the Kelly Dahl Campground (http://campincolorado.com/federal/arapaho_roosevelt_nf/kelly_dahl/kelly_dahl.html) in the Roosevelt National Forest, technically in Gilpin County - but just barely! It's not our usual kind of place. We generally prefer slightly off the beaten path, tent-only camping. But this fit our needs and for $17 a night, we settled in comfortably with our dog Jackson the Wonder Mutt. If you want to discuss the true Colorado experience, a dog is a must. But I will visit that in a later blog...

The campground was not large, but we were well surrounded by trees and has a view of a ridge with wildflowers across from us...once you looked past some of the RV's parked nearby. It was probably the most social camping trip I've ever had, as everyone who passed by had to comment and visit with the mutt. Camping always tends to help me tune out the world and even though this was a more social experience, it was no exception and exactly what the doctor ordered!

Friday afternoon we drove into Nederland to pick up firewood, which was cheaper by the bundle at the grocery store. Then we headed back to the site for a walk around the campground and a yummy meal. That evening, we immersed ourselves in another Colorado Culture activity - having our dog join us in the tent! He did well, even joining us in the sleeping bag to stay warm.

Saturday, we decided to hike at the Magnolia West trailhead. I can't tell you which trail(s) we were on, as they seemed to intertwine and ramble. I tried to pull up a site on this trailhead with no luck, but essentially it's about 3 miles south of Nederland. The trails started off heavy with mountain bikers, but once we made our first trail switch off the main route, we rarely ran into folks. The area was a beautiful lush green with all the recent rainfall and the area was gorgeoud - wildflowers everywhere! We discovered some great free campground sites and hiked for about 2 hours or so, before returning to our car with a super pooped pup.

Fast forward through an afternoon of rain and what became the equivalent of a 5 hour nap in our cozy tent as the storms blew through. That night we heated up some homemade chili we had frozen and enjoyed our small, short campfire before decided we were still tired and heading off to bed.

Sunday we opted to swing through Nederland, where our puppy stole the show and I got to pop into a few of the very cool shops in the quaint downtown (http://town.nederland.co.us/). We didn't buy, but we did stop to take a few pictures before rambling home via Boulder.
It was a truly relaxing weekend, Colorado Culture style. I was digging it!