Roxborough State Park, October 2014

My whirlwind tour to catch every last bit of fall foliage continued today at Roxborough State Park. Every time I come here, I tell myself I need to come more often. Maybe after this trip I'll actually listen to myself.

First wildlife sighting before I even got to the parking area -- mule deer in the scrub oak.  I like the rim lighting on this doe's ears and her prancing sort of stride.

The sun was already pretty high and bright when I started my hike up Carpenter Peak, which always results in landscapes that have exposure challenges -- either some spots are too dark ...

... or the whole scene is washed out and too bright.   But I still shoot them anyway, like watching a movie over and over and hoping something you don't like will change this time.

I was struck by these dead plants, standing out from the surrounding grass through both their size and color.  Peaceful.

Those dead plants even made nice foreground elements for a shot that's really of the sandstone formation.  Nice shapes from the clouds, too.

The hike to the summit of Carpenter Peak is listed at a strenuous 3.2 miles from the visitor center, but it's really pretty manageable.  After an initial series of steep switchbacks it becomes more of a traverse, with several heavily shaded sections that provide welcome relief on a sunny day.  Here's the view from the top looking northeast towards Denver in the distance, with Chatfield Reservoir prominent in the upper left.

The view to the west was a bit more striking, thanks to both the more vivid colors in the evergreens and interesting patterns in the clouds.

Three chipmunks kept me company at the top, looking for handouts of which none were forthcoming.  They all bustled about busily, rarely staying still for very long. You can distinguish them from ground squirrels by the stripe on their heads.  They're also usually smaller and move with their tails sticking up in the air.

This fellow looks like he's about to bring a meeting to order.

With no crumbs coming from me, they had to make due with their normal fare.

When ya gotta scratch, ya gotta scratch.

I snapped this quick shot of another sandstone formation with some rusted farm equipment in the foreground and ruins of a cabin in the midground.  Then I recomposed and spent about 10 minutes waiting for the clouds to drift to what I thought was a better place, taking a shot every so often.  When I looked at them all on the computer, I liked this first quick one the best.  Art is funny.

The trail through the scrub oaks was pretty bright, since most of the leaves had dropped.  I was probably about a week late from hitting this at peak foliage, unfortunately.

One final vista, which I took mainly because the clouds were so striking.

I think I might have to call a reluctant end to the 2014 foliage tour.  But I'm sure I'll find something else to shoot!