Peak to Peak Highway 2014

With a foliage season as spectacular as this one, I don't want to miss any opportunities to get out. So I hit the road again on Thursday, not for a lengthy hike but instead a scenic drive on the Peak to Peak Highway.

The Peak to Peak is a bit of an annual ritual for me.  And I have a particular spot I love about six miles north of the traffic circle in Nederland.  It's a popular pull-off, but what I love most about it are some little unnamed trails behind a gate that's always closed that meander through the aspens for a more intimate experience.

I headed in a direction I'd never gone before and soon found myself enjoying a beautiful walk in the woods.

The trail crossed a small creek, and I tried to get a shot of leaves swirling in an eddy.  In lower light I probably could have gotten something more along the lines of what I had in mind.  But I still like what I was able to capture.

The leaves are still vivid, but also falling off the trees.  That creates scenes like this colorful carpet on a still section of the creek.

Same spot, but zoomed in on a smaller section reveals interesting colors and textures.

There were no signs, and social trails kept crisscrossing all over the place.  I wasn't too worried about finding my way back to my car since the sounds from the highway never completely abated.

Sure enough, I eventually re-crossed the creek in a different spot.  That log "bridge" wasn't really of much help.

Here I think I was following just an animal trail through a wet meadow.  This is a spot I imagine would be gorgeous at sunrise or sunset.  It may even provide a nice night photography opportunity.  I'm unlikely to be able to ever find it again, though. :)

Eventually I regained the road about a quarter of a mile north of where I'd parked.  So I took my opportunity to capture the vista, even though the light was about as harsh as it gets.

Compose just so, and you can hide the patches of aspens that have already dropped their leaves and just get glorious Colorado fall colors.

The foliage appeared to have just passed peak.  So if you want to catch the color along the Peak to Peak, this weekend is probably your last shot!