Dallas Divide to Telluride

Fall Colors 2013
Saturday, October 5, 2013

After spending a cold night camping near Vista Point along Owl Creek Pass Road, I was up in the darkness taking down my camp. The temperature was in the upper teens, but surprisingly it didn’t feel that cold when I got out of my sleeping bag. When my camp was loaded into the Jeep I drove through Ridgway over to the Dallas Divide so I could catch the sunrise on the Sneffels Range.

When I arrived at the Dallas Divide before sunrise there were plenty of nice clouds above the Sneffels Range.

Dallas Snow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

By the time the sun struck the tops of the peaks most of the clouds had disappeared.

First Light by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Soon a little bit of fog started rolling in.

Morning Fog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Fog in the aspen trees.

Fog by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

When the sun was up I made my way over to County Road 9 and stopped by the Double RL Ranch for a photo over these bales of hay.

Hay by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

As I was driving closer to the mountains some more low clouds moved in to play hide and seek with the peaks.

In the Clouds by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Engulfed by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Peeking Out by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Aspen trees with snow blowing off the top of Mount Sneffels.

Trees & Mountains by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There’s always a great view from Box Factory Park.

Box Factory Park by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Next I made my way over to County Road 5.

Changing Seasons by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A little patch of color under Mount Sneffels.

Sneffels by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Green to Gold by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Zoomed in on some nice color.

Trees by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Fence by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Mount Sneffels in the clouds.

Cloudy by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Moving Clouds by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Hillside by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

When I was finally done taking photos of the Sneffels Range I drove back to Ridgway for an early lunch and then started my drive towards Telluride.

Golden aspen trees along Last Dollar Road.

Last Dollar Road by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I did a little exploring on Wilson Mesa and along Silver Pick Road.

Wilson Mesa by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Above it All by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

After exploring Wilson Mesa I was driving back towards Telluride when I noticed my Jeep was about to turn 100,000 miles, so I made sure to stop for a photo to commemorate the event. If you’ve followed my blog for a while, you might notice that I drive a lot. I’ve managed to rack up 100,000 miles in about 3.5 years, but I’ve also come back with a lot of great photos and memories thanks to my Jeep. I’m hoping my Jeep will make it to 200,000!

100,000 by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

It has been a few years since I visited Alta Lakes, so I decided to head back up there.

Tiny Island by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

As I was driving back to my campsite (and sunset view) for the evening I noticed this one aspen tree lit up in the late evening light.

Light by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

While I was watching the sun set for the day I turned around and saw these aspens lit up by very golden light.

Aspen Light by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There must have been something in the air this evening, because the light was very red. My Jeep along Last Dollar Road at my campsite for the night.

Last Dollar Sunset by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

There was a pretty strong alpenglow after the sun dipped below the horizon, too.

Alpenglow by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A quick shot to the west before I put my camera away for the night and got my camp setup.

Last Light by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

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