Fourth Annual RMNP Fall Gathering & Photo Contest

With the cooler weather on the way, it seems an appropriate time to kick this off! We've already seens some pics showing the first signs of autumn.

Post your fall color plans and color updates/reports here.

We'll of course have a fourth annual fall colors contest that will kick off in October - you can see last year's submissioins here.

Fall is on the way!

I've got to work around my assignment schedule, so my only day off will be Sunday Oct. 1st for a trip over Cottonwood and Kebler. That's probably a bit late, but hopefully it won't be terribly late.

I'll be around Crested Butte from September 22-24th. I hope to get up to the San Juans for a brief weekend on Sept 30th and Oct. 1st, and perhaps for a longer weekend (depending on conditions) for Columbus Day Weekend. I may also sneak up to Aspen for Maroon Bells on the weekend of September 16th and 17th.

Les, October 1st should be prime for Kebler, and not too late for Cottonwood, either, although the aspens on Cottonwood are not really legendary. Consider Independence Pass (incredible aspen groves on both sides), head through Aspen to Carbondale and take Hwy-133 over McClure Pass, and then hook up with Kebler Pass down by the Paonia Reservoir dam. Just a thought.

Me, I'll be following my whimsy, and any reports here, to determine where to go.

I'll just be tooling around Ridgway area... give me a shout if you guys come this way.

Todd,

Business (and convenience) calls re: Cottonwood Pass. I do hope Kebler is still in prime by that date; it's looking a bit like early Fall around my house off the Peak-to-Peak.

Jack, it's going to be really nice having "one of us" always around Ridgway/Telluride this fall. Please keep us abreast of all the developments down there, as most of us will make our way into you neck of the woods sometime this fall.

Craig

Hi, I'm planning on being in Colorado the end of September. I'm riding my motorcycle out to my place in Estes, leaving the 23rd and arriving the 26th. I'm planning on spending a few days in the southwest part of the state where I here the aspen groves are incredible. If anyone wants to get togeter for a shoot let me know!!

Usually I can get out of work-related activities when necessary - and there's nothing more 'necessary' than fall colors - but I have to be involved in several things going on the last week of Sept. and first week of Oct. I'll be down around Kebler on the weekend of the 30th, hopefully, and will look at the reports here for destinations the following weekend.

Since the normal 2-week trip is nixed, we're planning to head to Utah in late October for a couple of weeks - possibly Zion and/or Escalante.

I'll be in the Aspen-Ashcroft-McClure Pass area Sept. 22-24, and then in the Kebler-Cimarron-Ridgeway area Sept. 27-Oct.3 or so time frame. I hope to see some of you in all the old familiar places and maybe some new ones. Jack, I'd like to meet you---will probably be hanging my hat at what used to be the Super 8 there. I love Steamboat, but at the same time I envy your Ridgeway location.

Rod

I will be setting up a cot at work, I am in the middle of 1 of 2 major software implementations for the hospitals. I am looking at well into December before I can think about a shoot. I will be here admiring the works of all of you fine people though. I am trying to remember the last time my camera was outside, and at present I can't.
Have fun and be safe in your travels and post plenty, for those of us that will miss the goodstuff. Thanks

As of now I should be in the Crested Butte area from around the 27th to the 30th. This will be my first time out that way this time of year.

I'll be out shooting fall colors from Wed Sept 20 to Sun Sept 24, probably in the Crested Butte/Kebler area. I might head over to Telluride also in case Last Dollar Rd goes early. I'd love to meet up with any of you that are out and about.

I know everyone likes to keep things somewhat loose as colors and conditions change quickly. But it looked like last year a lot of folks agreed to meet in the Lost Lake area and camp there.

Maybe it is too early to pick a central spot to meet. But it would be cool to see some folks in and around the Kebler/Aspen area in a couple of weeks. I will be heading up that way the weekend of the 23-24 and possibly extend it out, then maybe go the next weekend of the Sept 30-Oct 1 to the San Juans as well.

Do you guys pitch a tent or sleep in the old car? I guess it depends on the weather also.

Derek

Nearly half of the aspen between Silver Plume and Eisenhower Tunnel are yellow. Fall's definitely here.

Derek - a few us camped together two nights near Lost Lake last year. Otherwise, it was pretty much every man for himself during the day. I'm sure that you won't have any trouble running into folks in that area; crossing paths is less of an issue than crossing tripod legs!

A lot (most?) sleep in the back of their trucks; I think one or two folks set up tents last year. For me, the truck things works best as it lends a lot of flexibility to planning. Plus, it takes about 10 seconds to jump in the back of the truck vs. setting up camp.

Rick,

That sounds cool. It reminds me of growing up on the coast and going on surf trips. We would sleep anywhere - the ground, a tent, a car (fold back the seats a little), the back of a truck. It didn't matter. The main objective was to going surfing the next morning! Eventually I bought a truck with a nice shell. Now I wish I still had that thing.

Well I can always fold back my seat in the Maxima and pretend I'm 18 again. Only problem is the old bod may be a little less flexible in the morning Of course photography is less physically demanding than wakeing up to a 10' swell, unless a long hike is involved.

Last year we used a green ribbon on the radio antenna to identify CNP addicts.
Same sign this year?

Art L.

I'll be in Durango on the evening of the 29th, and was planning to head up the Million Dollar Highway. But, if Kebler is better, I might give it a shot.

Anyone interested in doing the Steamboat area this year, I'm predicting peak will be around the 25-26th or thereabouts, so if I had to pick a weekend, it would be 23-24 as I think the 30th-Oct 1 would be a little late. Right now, the colors are starting to change and there's spots, like this area this morning near Muddy Pass lake with Rabbit Ears in the background that is aready near peak. Troubling and quite unusual for this time of year here in NW Colorado is a lot of haze, which has been around for several weeks and I assume is smoke from wildfires west of here, probably SW Montana in particular. From what I see here, even this coming weekend isn't too early to find some areas of nice fall color in the state.

I'll be headed out to Kebler and Ohio Pass this weekend (Sept. 16-17). My plan is to spend most of my time hiking several trails - Lost Lake, Swampy Pass, and Mill-Castle, but I'll be traveling and shooting the usual road routes, too - McClure, Kebler, Ohio Pass.

Stop and say, "Hi!" if you see a gold Xterra with CNP and RMNP stickers on the back. I'll report back on conditions early next week.

I'll be flying out on this Sat. the 16th and staying in Estes Park until Wed. Then I'm heading down to stay in Carbondale for two nights and driving the area south from there down to around Crested Butte. Then back over to Denver for Friday night the 22nd for the flight out on the 24th. It sounds like the colors will be good for the week. It's my first trip to Colorado and I can't wait. I'd like to get to meet some of you in person while I'm there.

Bruce

I plan on heading to the San Juans for some fall photography either the weekend of 9/23 or 9/30. I haven't been in the area for several years and never in the fall. Can anyone recommend some can't miss places? I'd really love to get a nice fall pano, something with mountains, sky, fall color, and water all in the same shot would be awesome.

It looks like I will be making a banzai run to Colorado (from Lake Tahoe) for the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of September. I am planning on being in the Owl Creek Pass - Silver Jack area on Saturday and County Roads 5,7 and Last Dollar on Sunday.

I'll be working / camping out of my white '05 Subaru Outback wagon w/Calif plates so if anyone comes across me, please stop and say hello! I met Darren K. and Brent D. at Silver Jack (and Telluride) in 2004 - Great Spots - Great Folks!

Take care all and I look forward to seeing everyone's fall shots!

Bill

My favorite fall color web cam link:

Colorado Web Cams

Hi Bill, from WA6TTY...73

I plan to be in the CB area this weekend with a few others. Hope to run into some of you! I'll be driving the dark green Explorer.

Ken