Yesterday I decided to make a quick trip up to the mountains in an attempt to get some photos of the aspen trees in their fall colors. I had been thinking about doing this for the past month or so, as one of the guys at work was wanting to come out to Colorado to see it. I figured we had plenty of time, but I didn't think about the leaves changing earlier at the higher elevations. I looked into it Friday night, and the US Forest Service's site made it look like it was already too late. I decided I would try anyway; it's not a terribly long drive up Boulder Canyon, and I don't remember the last time I was up there anyway.
The Forest Service web site was, for the most part, spot on. Most of the aspen along the beautiful Peak to Peak highway were already well past their prime, many of them with no leaves at all. However, the highway is mostly downhill between Nederland at the south end and its terminus at Highway 7 to the north, and I did manage to find one particularly stunning grove, making the whole trip worthwhile. I also found another cluster of trees on Highway 7, though there were other threes besides the aspen in this grove. Regardless, the pictures still turned out well, and I already have them posted.