The Glory of Autumn in the Colorado Rockies!

I have been privileged to spend the last three days in the Colorado Rockies under absolutely perfect conditions!  Crystalline air; warm, intense sun; cool, refreshing breezes; and aspen near the peak of fall color.  It has been absolutely glorious.  I did make a bit of an error here, though; I was at Hidden Valley in Rocky Mountain National Park, and walked out of a corridor between buildings.  I didn't look to my right immediately, but when I did, here was this big ol' bull elk!  Several minutes earlier, he had been feeding in a ravine 20-30 yards away.  Fortunately, he was mellow...used to the tourons, I reckon.  You really should not get this close to a bull elk (this is not a zoom shot!) and I would not have if I had known he was in this spot.  But bruddah Elk was cool about the whole thing.

The aspen will probably be at their peak around September 27-30, but on the 23rd there was plenty of blazing color.

Most aspen leaves turn yellow in fall, but some go red...they are prized.  Here's a macro shot of some red aspen.  I love how the red coloring reveals the intricate veins in the leaves. 

Here the Lizards continue their tour of America's great rivers.  Our saurian travelers have already visited the Columbia, Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri on this trip.  Now they're hangin' at the Colorado, near its headwaters at Grand Lake in the Rockies.

Mount Sherman, framed by aspens.  About a week earlier, the first snow of the season fell; on the north facing slopes, it hasn't melted, and probably won't before winter sets in for good.

The deep blue skies at two miles above sea level, combined with the blazing golden aspen, always make a stunning color contrast.

I have endless possibilities for color, shading, and light when the aspen are turning.  For a photographer it's like being a kid in a candy store!  You could take thousands of excellent pics in a few days here.  Really, it's breathtaking.

Yesterday my friend Cindy and I did a loop trip from Breckenridge, over  Boreas Pass, and back over Guanella Pass.  Exactly 100 miles.  Cindy enjoys the stunning contrast between the dark green hues of the evergreens (mostly englemann spruce and alpine fir) and the brilliant golds of the aspen.  This shot, near Guanella Pass, is a fine example.

Here's another one.  The brilliant colors and the sublime scenery rendered the Venerable Pinniped euphoric!  A guy we talked to here felt the same way.  Such a day makes it wonderful to be alive!  Being Saturday, it was fairly crowded, and no wonder, with this scenery.  But everyone was in a good mood...we shared our enjoyment with each other.

It's good not to overlook the forest floor.  This is a typical scene, worthy of a still life composition by a Dutch Master.  Weathered wood, waving grass, shrubs in fall color, subtle differences in lighting.  By the way, have you guessed that my favorite painters are the French Impressionists?