A night in an A Frame Club ;)

As I already said (Winter day, winter travel, Winter Park), we chose Winter park because of the hotel. Hmm... can I call this a hotel? Maybe... A Frame Club is a bit more than a simple hotel or motel on the side of the road. This is more about style than an overnight stay... It was built less than a year ago and can surprise you not only with its buildings ;)

 

Winter day, winter travel, Winter Park

As usual, the thought of a quick escape flashed through our minds, and the next moment we were already booking a hotel somewhere close, but far away... And a couple of days later we loaded the car, drove out of warm and snowless Denver and crossed the Continental Divide. The highway wasn't busy (even though it was Sunday) and the weather was beautiful, so it didn't take long to cross the Berthold Pass and to see the snow... A lot of it ;)

 

A Symphony of Blossoms

As the grip of colder days tightens, my thoughts invariably drift toward the enchanting realm of spring — a time when warmth and radiant sunlight stir the slumbering cherry and apple trees from their wintry repose.

 

Gold in Golden...

In the quiet embrace of this morning, I found myself reluctant to leave the warmth of my bed. Winter's chill lingered in the air, and the world outside seemed unwelcoming, adorned in faded hues. Even the reluctant sun, making a subtle appearance, couldn't quite lift the somber atmosphere. In that moment, a yearning stirred within me for a return to a truly golden fall — a season of warmth and joy.

 

Even more wild flowers. Rustler Gulch trail, Crested Butte

The next morning after hiking Beckwith Pass (click here to see it - In search of wild beauty...) we returned, circled around Crested Butte and drove towards Gothic, a truly beautiful ghost town where we again didn't stop :) We headed to the Rustler Gulch trailhead. 

 

In search of wild beauty. Beckwith Pass trail, Crested Butte

We traveled to Crested Butte for Independence Day and explored the area and it was stunning....  We started our trip with a hike to Lake Irwin (click here to see - Lake Irwin and continued here - Peanuts and Meridian lakes). Crested Butte is Wildflower Capital of Colorado and we expected to see the flowers in full bloom. But, despite the abundance of rain and warm days that year, the peak of blooming still was a couple of weeks away, so we decided to return there again. And three weeks later we were back there and started with Beckwith Pass trail.

 

Yellow, red, green and blue - it's autumn!

As the demands of a bustling week gradually fade, there emerges an undeniable need for respite, a moment to distance oneself from the urban clamor. And what better time than October, where the transition from summer's verdant green to autumn's gilded embrace beckons us into nature's soothing arms.

 

The night in Breckenridge. Budweiser Snow Sculpture Festival 2019

Breckenridge is a great place to relax... It's especially beautiful in the fall (don't believe me? click here to check it out - Fall colors). Summer is good too... but winter is truly the best time... Especially two weekends in late January when the Budweiser Snow Sculpture Festival attracts teams from all over the world to carve blocks of snow and create some beauty (click here - Snowflake plus snowflake... finally we can make a snow sculpture, can't we? or here - Breckenridge Snow Sculptures Festival 2015 to see some of them).

 

June flowers

What do you like most about June? The weather, I think... It is still not as hot as next month and the sun hasn't had enough time to burn down all the greenery... And... the flowers are already in full bloom!

 

Table Mountain, late November hike...

North Table Mountain is a cool place to hike in May, especially after a heavy snowfall (click here to look at it - Table Mountain, light hike one Saturday in May). It transforms into a winter wonderland in January, offering a serene landscape beneath the cold embrace of snow (click here to check it out - Table Mountain or Oh, deer...). But it is also a beautiful place to explore on warm November day so let's try it, shall we?

 

Taos and on the way back to Denver

It was a nice but short escape to New Mexico to watch the eclipse and eat some spicy food (click here for previous part - Somewhere between here and there... Town of Los Cerillos)... but we needed to get back to Denver. We woke up early and left Las Vegas (New Mexico, not Nevada ;) ). We only made one short detour to see Montezuma Castle. United World College - USA uses the building now so we could only look at it from some distance (and, unfortunately, couldn't see much) ;)

 

Somewhere between here and there... Town of Los Cerillos

We drove along Highway of Legend and enjoyed the vibrant fall colors (click here to see - Vibrant colors of Highway of Legends) and ended up in Las Vegas (don't get me wrong, it's not Las Vegas, Nevada, but Las Vegas, New Mexico ;) ). This is a great place to stay (click here to see - Las Vegas, the small town with a big history) but we weren't planning on doing it this time. We had some other plans... It may not be as big and bright as its sister town in Nevada (click here to see - Las Vegas - Sin City) but... we loved it a lot! 

The next morning we left while it was still dark outside and headed towards Madrid (not Madrid, Spain but Madrid, New Mexico, yes I know it's very confusing, during this trip we were always not where the names were suggested), where we planned to stop on the side of the road and look around...

 

Back to August...

Back in August is a good time to look at some flowers ;) Yes, let's make another trip back in time and admire the August flowers...

 

Some beautiful flowers...

The flowers are such beautiful creatures, aren't they? But we don't see many these days.. Fall is not a time when the flowers are everywhere and bring joy, but... we have a time machine called "images", so why not use it? Let's jump back a few months and look at something bright, how about blooming Cholla?

 

Fall flowers...

Everybody knows that spring is the time of flowers... Or perhaps summer...  But... are we truly certain about that?

 

Vibrant colors of Highway of Legends

It's just unbelievable how the snowfall in October changes everything. Overnight, the colorful fall gave way to a peaceful and white winter. The temperature dropped and... immediately we realized how beautiful this fall was... with its warm days and vibrant colors... And although we only have to wait a couple of days before the warm weather returns, today I want to travel back in time (not very far) and refresh the memory with the bright colors of the Highway of Legends, along which we passed just a couple weeks ago.

 

Golden Gate Canyon - pure gold canyon ;)

That's what we all do in the fall time - chasing the fall colors. And the Golden Gate Canyon is a perfect place for it... There are a lot of aspen trees, and their foliage turns from green to pure gold in a matter of days, and if you find the right moment, you'll be rewarded with some gold...

 

Light morning hike

Last year I discovered a hidden gem for hiking, especially during the summer, but, regrettably,  didn't find a time to return there. And since last Saturday I was looking for something really light, I decided to revisit this enchanting place. I was also secretly hoping to catch some vibrant fall colors if I was lucky (uh... not really, but I did spot a few hints of color here and there).

The trail starts in a dense, shadowy forest and ascends rapidly from the very start.  It's a rather steep beginning, to be honest... 

 

Fall colors

Fall is an enchanting season in Colorado. The scorching summer heat has bid us farewell, but the biting winter cold hasn't yet arrived. In this transitional period, we are blessed with a few weeks of delightful mild weather, and an extra-special treat – the breathtaking Fall colors.

 

Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain

I was talking to a friend of mine one day and he said that I probably have pictures of flowers of all colors. I wasn't sure that I had them, so... I looked through my collection and found flowers, if not all colors, but at least all the colors of the rainbow;) Thus the idea for this post was born...

 

Trinidad, CO, still on the way to New Mexico ;)

It was a long day... We started it in Pueblo (click here to see - The most boring city in Colorado... Really?), continued along the Highway of Legends (click here to see - Highway of Legends - La Veta and Stonewall...) and an hour before sunset we were not only still on the road, but made one more stop. This time in Trinidad... Yeap, almost all day and we haven't even left Colorado yet!

 

Highway of Legends - La Veta and Stonewall...

We enjoyed wandering around Pueblo (click here to see - The most boring city in Colorado... Really?), but had many miles and hours ahead of us before we could call it a day and stay the night in Las Vegas, NM. So we turned back onto I-25 and headed into the sun...

 

The most boring city in Colorado... Really?

What is the best way to spend a warm and sunny weekend in October? Right! Visiting New Mexico! What can be better?

 

Mabel Dodge Luhan house, Taos

We had a really good time discovering the treasures of La Loma Plaza (click here to see - Taos, a place you will never forget ;)) but ended up going elsewhere to see another Taos landmark.

 

Taos, a place you will never forget ;)

As you may remember, we caught the very last shuttle bus at Bandelier National Monument (click here if you want to refresh your memory - Bandelier National Monument) and drove back to Taos, where we planned to spend the night. The next morning we woke up full of energy and ideas about what we wanted to see...