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| This wonderful photo is golden aspen fields in the San Juan mountains of southern Colorado. If I was going to retire in a place in that state, this is where I'd move to. |
The San Juan Mountains in Colorado are in the extreme southern central part of the state, just before they move down to New Mexico. The Rocky Mountains, in general, are the backbone of the state, moving down from north to south cutting the state in two - the eastern slope, the western slope, and the mountain range. Here we're in the south central part of the state where winters are harsh but autumns are stunning. Just look at those golden aspen trees.
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| Moving a bit more to the central area of the Rocky Mountains, we revisit one of my favorite places - now and forever - Maroon Bells. |
Here are the Maroon Bells in their fall glory. The "Bells" are a few hours southwest of Aspen, so I visited them on and off throughout my youth while I lived in that town each summer. I still count the area as one of my absolute favorites and would love to return there one last time. Maybe I'll add that to my nonexistent "bucket list". Here, the aspen trees are almost at their maximum altitude, but they still shine golden in the autumn.
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| Closer to Denver, this is an autumn view of Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. |
The closest way to get into the mountains is to just drive west of Denver, but if you're willing to go north a little bit, and then turn west, you'll run right into Rocky Mountain National Park and the high road of Trail Ridge Road. It's well worth the trip, and these fall colors on the hills show you just one good reason to go a little bit out of your way.
Now to move a bit more south and visit New Mexico in the fall.
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| Fall in New Mexico for me always means ristras of red chili peppers and squash of various types. For many years I always had a ristra in my kitchen and would pull my seasoning directly from it. |
Street corners in New Mexico will feature the red ristras of chili peppers in the fall, and roasted green hatch chili peppers in late summer. Talk red and green for your enchiladas and tamales? This is the red in its' purest form.
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| Moving north to the area north of Taos on the way toward the Colorado border, you're in the high desert. No autumn aspen trees, but the spectacular desert vistas that give New Mexico its' nickname of "Land of Enchantment". |
Leaving New Mexico and driving home to visit the parents, I usually took the route that took me through Santa Fe and Taos and then through the high desert plains north of Taos toward the San Juan mountains. This is a harsh area with little water and brutal temperatures - both summer and winter - but it has a stark beauty that tugs at my heart.
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| In the Albuquerque area, on the banks of the Rio Grande river, there are trees that will turn for the autumn season. |
Fall in New Mexico varies dramatically from where you are located. Here is a photo near Albuquerque, in the central part of the state along the Rio Grande river. Here there is water, so even though there is some altitude, it's not as harsh as the photo before. Here we have trees, and they turn that beautiful golden color that sets off the sage green of the scrub.
So, there you have it - six more photos of autumn, all from areas I knew well in my younger days. I traded the golden trees and mountains of the west for the scarlet trees and 10,000+ lakes of my current homeland, and I still consider it a good trade. I wouldn't mind taking a leisurely car trip back home for a nice visit once we're retired, though.
Have a great Tuesday and enjoy!
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