Down the Road Around the Bend: Colorado September 14-21, 2009, Travels in Gunnison NF

We spent a week camping next to Taylor Park Reservoir and exploring the back roads and mountains in this part of Gunnison National Forest. During this week, the quaking Aspen trees changed from mostly green to about 60% yellow & gold. I had expected the trees would change to almost all yellow/gold but there is still a lot of green in the trees.

These Apen trees in the middle of fir & spruce trees are mostly green with a little gold

While these trees a mile or so away have fully turned to gold

A few pictures of the Aspens

These Aspens make an interesting pattern in the fir & spruce trees

Some of the Aspen trees have already lost their leaves, but we still had pretty views of the mountains & valley

Some views as we drove the dirt & gravel roads in the mountains in Gunnison NF:

First, pictures of a pretty doe mule deer

Since she was back lit, you can see her whiskers

Tundra, mountains & clouds

Mountain & Sky views

Indian Head rock. It does look like an Indian leaning against a rock.

A different rainbow

Rain clouds & rain from the top of Cumberland Pass

Sharon’s new summer home, looking out on a beaver pond & beaver lodge

Gunsight Pass Road

Gunsight Pass road, about 4 miles NW of Crested Butte, was the roughest road we drove. It was a fun, but bumpy drive with pretty views. (As always, click on the picture or map for a larger view)

3D Map

Looking down from where the Blazer is parked in the previous picture.

Looking all the way down.

We didn’t go all the way to the end of the road. Forty five minutes of bumpy road to go the 4 miles we went was far enough. Besides we had plans to do more sightseeing that day and we had another forty five minute drive to get back down.

One day we ran across three hunters who killed (harvested if you prefer) a beautiful trophy bull elk. They shot him at about dusk the day before. They worked in the cold rain until after midnight that night quartering and hauling out half of the elk. This morning they were bringing out the rest and we got pictures of the shooter carrying out the head and antlers.

This is the rough and rocky slope they climbed up to get to their hunting area. Of course they then had to carry the elk back down. Not going to drive your ATV up this slope. If you look closely in the right center of the picture you can see the hunter and his trophy.