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Turkey Flats on Piñon MesaTurkey Flats

Turkey Flats on Piñon Mesa

Tuesday, June 26, 2018

After work on Tuesday, Diane and I loaded up our bikes and headed up to Piñon Mesa above Glade Park so we could go for a ride on the Turkey Flats Trail and beat the heat in the valley. It was 105 degrees down in the Grand Valley when we left home, but when we reached the Fruita Picnic Area to unload our bikes it was a more comfortable 83 degrees out. This evening we were going to combine the Turkey Flats Trail with 16 1/2 Road and the road that goes to Fruita Reservoir #1 to create a five mile loop. It turned out to be a very nice ride and wasn’t too difficult for us who don’t ride our bikes very often. We passed a few deer along the trail and the mosquitoes were out in full force if we stopped for too long, so we made sure to keep moving. There were also plenty of wildflowers blooming along the trail. Here’s a few photos from our weekday ride.

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Grand Mesa Fall ColorsGrand Mesa Fall Colors

Grand Mesa Fall Colors

Autumnal Equinox | Fall Colors 2014
Monday, September 22, 2014

After getting home from the San Juan Mountains on Sunday, I turned my attention to photographing local fall colors this week. I did a little research online and found that the colors up on the Grand Mesa were looking pretty good right now, so I decided to head up there after work. I spent much of the evening photographing the colors between Spruce Point, Mesa Lakes and Skyway Point since they were looking pretty good in this area. The clearing clouds from the weekend storms created dynamic lighting conditions and a beautiful magenta sunset. It was a nice way to spend the evening. While I didn’t plan it this way, it just so happens that today was also the autumnal equinox, the official beginning of the fall season, so I guess it’s fitting that I was out photographing fall colors today. Before I get to the photos, I’d also like to point out that this is the 600th trip report posted on this blog!

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West Maroon Pass & Geneva LakeWest Maroon Pass & Geneva Lake

West Maroon Pass & Geneva Lake

Saturday & Sunday, August 9-10, 2014

Since Diane and I have been spending a lot of time this summer hiking in the San Juan Mountains I figured it was time to get in a weekend of hiking in the Elk Mountains, before it was too late. We left home bright and early on Saturday morning and drove around the Grand Mesa to Marble where we followed the Crystal River past the Crystal Mill and Devil’s Punchbowl towards Schofield Pass. Diane was not a fan of this narrow and rough road, especially when we drove over the sections of large moving rocks. We stopped at the trailhead in Schofield Park so we could start our hike up to West Maroon Pass. Unfortunately, driving over Schofield Pass took a little longer than I remembered, so we arrived later in the morning than I would normally like to start hiking during monsoon season in the mountains. Since we weren’t attempting to climb any peaks on this hike we decided to give it a shot and see what the weather would do. Some darker clouds moved into the sky early on during our hike and we got rained on a few times, but there were no thunderstorms nearby. While there were still plenty of flowers along it trail, it was obvious that wildflower season is definitely coming to and end as many of the flowers were wilted and dying. I bet this hike would have been an amazing sight a few weeks ago!

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Fall and Winter on the Grand MesaFall and Winter on the Grand Mesa

Fall and Winter on the Grand Mesa

Fall Colors 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012

After work I decided to drive up on top of the Grand Mesa for a few hours to try and photograph some of the fall colors before it was too late. I was hoping to come back with a couple of photos, but instead I came back with a whole trip report! The colors were outstanding and the active weather provided a lot of interesting views throughout the evening. I even got caught in a snowstorm while on the very top, reminding me of the approaching winter.

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