The first is Boreas Pass, near Breckenridge. This is a popular mountain bike trail. I wanted to take a look because the pictures I saw of it showed the road lined in my all-time favorite trees, Aspens. The picture I saw was taken in fall, when the Aspens were in their full glory. I could get lost in a ride like that. The Aspen leaves in fall are a bright, vibrant golden yellow. They haven't started to change yet, but that didn't matter. The surrounding area was still drop-dead gorgeous.
Aspens
Reminds me of the water tank in the show "Petticoat Junction". Remember that show?
The white trees stumps look like gravestones. I'm guessing they are the remnants of 'Pine Beetle Kill'.
Small town of Como. It looks deserted, almost.
A barn near the town of Fairplay...we stopped in Fairplay at a BBQ Restaurant for lunch and on their menu was Carolina Pulled Pork Sandwiches and sweet tea. Small world!
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The second drive was through an even smaller town called Montezuma, near Keystone. The town only had dirt roads and as you drove through, it led to a popular dune buggy, dirt bike, off-road vehicle trail. We drove up this trail for a few miles until we got to a point where it was too rocky and steep for my liking. We were thinking about hiking the rest of the way up the mountain to see an old gold mine shack....I saw a picture of it online and was just about to die to go see it. However, from the information we could gather, we would have had to hike another 6-10 miles to get to it. I was in no frame of mind for that. So, we came back down and decided to make a plan to go....somehow....the next time we come out to Colorado.
This little town made their own road signs.
"The Town of Montezuma is a Statutory Town located in eastern Summit County, Colorado, United States. The town population was 65 at 2010 United States Census. The town is a former mining camp that sits at an elevation of 10,200 feet, just west of the Continental Divide, nestled among mountains that reach an elevation of 12,000-13,000 feet around it. It is situated in the upper valley of the Snake River above the resort town of Keystone in the Rocky Mountains."
(Information from Wikipedia)
This old home is for sale. Cliff and I thought we would buy and renovate it, if the price were right.
Yeah, right.....it costs over $200,000. HaHa!
I'm starting to catch up on my posts, now. You will want to check back in a couple of days for a heck of a hike...for me, anyway.
Laurie
How pretty is that!?! I want to go. Your pictures look like they belong on a travel brochure. Perfect!
ReplyDeleteJim Fowler, Greenville, SC
Ah, thanks! You should take a trip out here. You would be in wildflower heaven!
DeleteHi Laurie, I live in Breckenridge near Boreas Pass. These photos are of my stomping ground. My husband biked to Montezuma yesterday. Glad you enjoyed your visit to CO.
ReplyDeleteBarb, you are one lucky girl to live in these beautiful mountains! I would love to bike through Boreas Pass when the Aspens are glowing. Guess I'll have to wait until next year. We're heading home next week. Your husband must be very fit. I saw some people riding bikes up to Montezuma the other day and that didn't look easy at all. Kudos to your husband.
DeleteIt all looks beautiful:) If it's any consolation in Nantucket that place would be $2,000,000,000.:)
ReplyDeleteNature is just awe inspiring and you are right smack in it..and I do remember Petticoat Junction:)
Would be hard to get a building inspection to pass on the 3rd photo up:)
HaHa! You're right, Monique. These buildings have seen better days. I guess location counts for something, right? It sure is beautiful around here.
DeleteHi Laurie! Your photos do the area proud! They really do show the vastness and majesty of the area. I'm going to have to try to visit someday!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Christine! You must visit here! You must!
Delete200,000?!?!?
ReplyDeleteYes! Can you believe it? And it was only something like 395 square feet.
DeleteWow...gorgeous day for that little trip! The low humidity really gives you some nice crisp, clean air for photos! I would never tire of seeing mountains daily....so different from our flat corn fields!
ReplyDeleteI know! I would never tire of it, either. Another neat thing is how often the view changes. For instance, there was fog this morning and then the sun came out and 2 hours later it was hailing. The mountains can be shining in the sun and all of a sudden you can barely see them at all.
DeleteI've only been to Colorado once to ski at Keystone so seeing the area in summer is lovely.
ReplyDeleteIt really is, Carol. I don't think I would ever tire of looking at these mountains. We were in Keystone last Christmas and it was beautiful, too! It snowed Christmas Day. That was my first time ever to experience it snowing in Christmas.
DeleteYour pictures and descriptions sure do make a person want to travel to Colorado! And, yes, that picture of the water tower/tank certainly does look like the one in Petticoat Junction! (I didn't think you were old enough to remember that series!)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Judy! Oh yes, Petticoat Junction was one of my favorites as a little girl.
DeleteThanks for the tour. Yes,I do remember Petticoat Junction.We go through FairPlay when we head to Denver. Speaking of dirt roads....We have very few paved ones in town. I was gonna write a book . Black Granite on a Dirt Road (don't do it).
ReplyDeleteWell Janey, I think you should write that book. I'll be the first in line to read it.
DeleteRiding through FairPlay is a different kind of pretty, isn't it?