2011.9.26Maroon Bells is one of the most photographed places in the world. It is the very reason that we came to Colorado at this time.

It took about half an hour to drive from Aspen to Maroon Lake. It’s 6:30am when I parked the car. There were already 40 to 50 photographers at the lake side. It was a clear day, a day to produce good pictures but hardly extraordinary. There was no cloud at all to make the sky more interesting; and the wind made it very difficult to get a perfect reflection. I probably should have come much earlier, when the sun just reached the tip of the mountain, the color would have been a little warmer. One big challenge to shoot Maroon Bells is how to handle the dark shadow at the left side, which won’t disappear until noon. At the beginning, the shadow covered quite a large area. After 8am, I moved to the left side of the lake so the shadow area in the frame could be minimized.

Maroon Bells

Maroon Bells

In the summer, you can only drive your car to Maroon Lake before 9:00am. The same rule applied to weekends after September, but on weekday, there is no such control. I finished shooting on 9:30am, went back to hotel and took my wife to Maroon Bells. It is a place where the real thing is more beautiful than in the pictures.

Maroon Bells

Maroon Bells

Photographers at Maroon Bells

We had lunch at Hickory House Ribs Restaurant in down. It is a popular place. Its BBQ won many national awards.

Hickory House Ribs Restaurant

We took a different way coming back to Denver. We continued on Hwy. 82 and turned to Interstate Hwy. 70 at Glenwood Springs. The highway cut through the Rocky Mountains and run along the Colorado River. Before reaching the Great Plains, there are several high passed and tunnels, including the famous Eisenhower Tunnel. The construction of Highway 70 in West Colorado is considered to be one of engineering marvels. It was a thrilling driving experience we didn’t expect that an Interstate Highway can offer. Especially at the Glenwood canyon section, the view was breathtaking.

The highway also passes several ski resorts with beautify green valleys and European style hotels. 70 miles west of Denver at Silverthorne, there is an outlet. We had some spare time to do some shopping.

Silverthorne outlets

The evening flight took us home. The 3-day trip is only a short excursion to us. We were prepared for the big trip to come.

2011.9.2510-minute drive to the west of Colorado Spring, Garden of the Gods Park is the most popular public park in the region. It is worth spending half a day walking the trails and admire the nature’s magic creation. I had a early morning walk right after sunrise, but for only an hour. There was not enough time to cover the park and capture the dramatic rock formations with my camera.

Garden of the Gods Park, Entrance

Garden of the Gods Park

We had several choices going from Colorado Spring to Aspen. We could take Hwy. 24 to Buena Vista, go north on Hwy. 24 then turn west on Hwy. 82. This is the shortest path that takes only 4 hours. Another option was to take Hwy. 50 to Gunnison, then turn to Hwy. 135 through Crested Butte. It’s one of the most scenic drives in Colorado but will take at least 7 hours to get to Aspen. To keep the option open, we took Hwy. 50 first because we could still go back to Hwy. 24 at Salida.

Two hours later, we sit in a McDonald restaurant at Salida. It’s almost noon time, we decided to take the shorter route. It was a good decision, we stopped countless times for photos on Hwy. 24 and 82. If we had gone to Crested Butte, I am not sure if we could reach Aspen by night.

Salida

As we turned north on Hwy 285, the sunshine was very bright, but when we got closer to Hwy. 82, the sky turned cloudy and it’s almost like raining.

A Road-Side Ranch close to Buena Vista

Clear Creek Reservoir

Twin Lakes

Hwy. 82 is narrow and winding but the photo opportunities were abundant.

A Creek along Hwy. 82

A Farm on Hwy.82

At 12,095 ft (3,687 m), Independence Pass is the highest place we have been visited, surpassing Cusco in the Andes Mountains. It is also a continental divide. In September, vegetation has all lost its green color.

The Road Leading to the Independence Pass

Independence Pass

Driving for another half an hour, we finally reached Aspen. It’s already 5pm. Aspen is named because of the abundance of aspen trees in the area. These trees decorate the surrounding mountains with bright yellow color in the fall and make them dream settings for landscape photographers. Aspen itself is a lovely small town with exquisite shops and upscale restaurants.

Aspen

2011.9.24We didn’t plan to go to Rocky Mountain National Park because we knew we wouldn’t have time to reach the west side of the park with more majestic views, but after spending the morning at Denver, we found that we still had several hours left for the day. Boulder is only 30 miles north to Denver. Except its main street, which is a typical suburban shopping area, there was not much to see, so we didn’t make any stop. After another 50 miles, we were at Estes Park, a small town next to the park.

Estes Park is crowded place because a lot of people stay there for the night while visiting the park. Entering the national park, we stopped at Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. It’s almost 3pm. The ranger told us we’d have enough time to see the park’s east side and walk several trails. We first took Bear Lake Rd. to its end. It’s very cloudy at the time. The sky was featureless. We turned back almost right away and only took a couple of pictures along the way.

Bear Lake Rd., Rocky Mountain National Park

Bear Lake Rd., Rocky Mountain National Park

Moose Family, Bear Lake Rd., Rocky Mountain National Park

Long Lens on Moose, Bear Lake Rd., Rocky Mountain National Park

The road was winding up after we tuned to Fall River Road. We stopped at one place that overlooks Moraine Park mountain range. There was a very professional-looking photographer who had taken the best spot and was patiently waiting for the sunset. We didn’t have that luxury so I took several shots and kept on driving.

Moraine Park Mountain Range, Rocky Mountain National Park

We left the loop and turned to the Old Fall River Road. After about 1 mile, a short walk on Alluvial Fan trail led us to a waterfall. The waterfall was not very impressive, but on the trail, we saw several tiny chipmunks standing on tree twigs and eating fruits from the tree. They were the cutest animals we’ve ever seen.

Water Fall at Alluvial Fan, Rocky Mountain National Park

The Cutest Chipmunk, Rocky Mountain National Park

We returned to the loop but soon found the road was jammed. The park had an event at that night called “Elk bugling”. We felt that we had seen enough Elks in Banff, so we turned back and left the park through the way we came.

Just after we passed Estes Park, when the sun dropped below the horizon, the sky suddenly turned clear and the color became very sublet. I believe that photographer could make some good pictures. It’s something we as tourists cannot afford, waiting on the best location for the best moment. We booked the hotel at Colorado Spring, which was still 3 hours away.

2011.9.24We arrived at Denver in a late flight the day earlier. The next morning, our trip started with a city tour of Denver downtown. 16th street mall was still quiet at 10am in the morning. We went to see the State Capitol first.

View from Colorado State Capitol

Colorado State Capitol

The 16th Street Mall is an 1.5-mile long shopping area opened in 1982. Besides all kinds of restaurants and shops, the tree-lined street also hosts various live performance and exquisite squares.

Double Daughter\'s Salotto, 16th Street Mall

Writer\'s Square, 16th Street Mall

Tree-Lined Street, 16th Street Mall

Overlook the State Capitor from the 16th Street Mall

After walking 2 hours, it’s nice to take the free MallRide bus back to where we started. We then went to Larimer Square. This short street is a historical downtown district. While the 16th Street Mall has mostly chain stores and restaurants, Larimer Square offers some authenticity of city’s past.

Larimer Square