Colorado's colors: 3 trips from 3 weeks

So the 14ers have have given us a summer of adventure, and we will still probably do a couple more in the winter. But in the mean-time, we have decided to do some easier day-hikes. Of course, Colorado-fall is photo-worthy as well, so I put 3 trips together - a visit from Mel's mom and Colorado sight-seeing; a trip up Flattop Mountain in Rocky Mountain National Park; and lake-hunting adventures in Rocky.

Georgetown:

Georgetown never fails to remind me of how simply people lived back in the day, and how beautiful it must have been in the 1870s when the town was bustling.

The road up to Guanella Pass near the trailhead of a couple 14ers is one of the premiere drives in the state when it comes to fall colors...

...and some short hikes aren't bad either.

The sawtooth behind and Mt. Bierstadt to the right. Mel's mom was out for the first week in October -- she picked the right week for sure.

Flattop Mountain

As the winds and snow have started piling up in the mountains, we have rediscovered the simpler world of hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park, especially since it is just an hour away. Unfortunately, with the super easy trails comes hoards of people and children, my least favorite things.

Bear Lake and Hallet peak in the background. We had planned to reach the top after hitting Flattop Mountain, which you can't seen ... it is behind the hill on the right. Unfortunately, the 50 mph winds at the top had other plans...

How times have changed.... We posed here almost a year ago, but you could hardly see our faces in the blizzard that was building. Ah, memories...

The Tyndall Glacier to the right... one of the few remaining glaciers in the park.

Yea, a tree grew around a rock and then picked it up... come back in 10 years to see what happens?

Not a bad spot for lunch... Longs Peak in the back.

A chill evening at Bear Lake, surrounded by the flip-flop bearing, children rearing tourists. Welcome back to the world :(

Lake-Hunting in Rocky

After we got back from out Flattop adventures on 10/15, we thought it would be cool to do something different... a hunting trip of sorts. So, we picked a lake (and by we, I mean mostly Mel), planned a route and jumped on a semi-worn path near Black Lake. 1000 vertical feet over 1/2 mile later, we were standing in a basin of 2 partially frozen and pristine alpine lakes. The winds, once again had other plans.

And the best part, not a single other person was up there or even working to get up. Ah, solitude.

Longs towers to the left - 14,255 feet