# The Aspens Are Turning In Colorado



## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

I delivered a trailer in Durango, Co yesterday, so I snapped a few pics for ya'll... The turning of the aspens is the most beautiful time in Colorado in my opinionated opinion, lol









Dropping off of wolf creek pass east bound.









West of South Fork, Co.









The San Luis Valley, North of Monte Vista, Co. This is the Sangre De Cristo Mtn range. Its a 75 mile line of 13-14000 foot peaks.. These are rugged mtns with few roads that access them.









The north end of the San Luis Valley.




































A rugged section along hwy 50 between Salida, Co and my home town of Canon City, Co. This area is the home to a large population of Big Hrorn Sheep for good reason.... Rugged!

Ok all Im off to Indy for some more abuse to me and my truck.. I have about 150 pics so far of many areas.. I'll post em when I get time...

It was so beautiful coming back home yesterday I wanted to share my windshield pics with ya..

Carey


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

I agree, Carey. The Aspens are magical ANY time of year . . . but they are at their most majestic in the Fall. Enjoy some for me, would you please?


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

lol Well now I am heading eastbound to Indy, but have a trailer bound for LA, Ca. So I will be running I 70 thru Colorado and Utah tuesday and wed. I'll be sure and shoot a few more pics for ya!

Carey


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> lol Well now I am heading eastbound to Indy, but have a trailer bound for LA, Ca. So I will be running I 70 thru Colorado and Utah tuesday and wed. I'll be sure and shoot a few more pics for ya!
> 
> Carey


Now _*THAT'S*_ something to look forward to after surgery!!!! Thanks!


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## Chuck-N-June (Oct 21, 2006)

WOW! Love the pics. I miss seeing the leaves change. Being in Florida we only have one season, and thats Summer! I miss going to the mountains, we havent been in 2 years, those pictures make me miss it even more.. thanks for sharing!


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Wow Carey - sure does make me wish to take a trip up there. We need to come up and see you and Crystal sometimes. MA would love the train ride there in Canon City.

-CC


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Great pictures! The trees around here are also changing...very cool!

What's up with all the skid marks in the first picture? Wow..


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## N7OQ (Jun 10, 2006)

Thanks for the pictures they are very nice. I love the fall it means that my worst season is almost over and better days are coming. I love to feel the crisp cool air in the morning. Summer is not my cup of tea, in fact sense I started to live here in California I have gotten to the point to where I hate it. I got to spent one Fall in Rochester Ny and one fall in Springfield, Mass and was blown away by the Fall colors there.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Great pictures! The trees around here are also changing...very cool!
> 
> What's up with all the skid marks in the first picture? Wow..


That pic was taken on Wolf Creek Pass.. 10 miles down at 6-8% grades.. Its a scarry ride in a semi.. Been over it like 100 times.. Ive had my truck all chained up and still gotten stuck going up, and have lost all traction with wheel lock up coming down.. Scares the heck out of ya.. 2-3000 foot drop offs and guard rails dont stop semis..

The pic does it no justice.. Some freaked out trucker pinned his brakes cause he was scarred of losing them... The pass is full of skids from this... Also at night the deer and elk are thick.. I hit 3 elk at one time on that pass last winter.. 24k damage to my truck.. One dead elk, and two that were screaming till we could get the state patrol up there and shoot them out of there miserey..

There have been around 500 truckers killed on wolf creek pass over the years.. many country songs written about that pass...

Carey


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

collinsfam_tx said:


> Wow Carey - sure does make me wish to take a trip up there. We need to come up and see you and Crystal sometimes. MA would love the train ride there in Canon City.
> 
> -CC


Yea she would.. That train ride is generally loved by everyone who rides it! The view looking up the gorge is just unbeliveable!

Carey


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

Colorado~DirtBikers said:


> Great pictures! The trees around here are also changing...very cool!
> 
> What's up with all the skid marks in the first picture? Wow..


That pic was taken on Wolf Creek Pass.. 10 miles down at 6-8% grades.. Its a scarry ride in a semi.. Been over it like 100 times.. Ive had my truck all chained up and still gotten stuck going up, and have lost all traction with wheel lock up coming down.. Scares the heck out of ya.. 2-3000 foot drop offs and guard rails dont stop semis..

The pic does it no justice.. Some freaked out trucker pinned his brakes cause he was scarred of losing them... The pass is full of skids from this... Also at night the deer and elk are thick.. I hit 3 elk at one time on that pass last winter.. 24k damage to my truck.. One dead elk, and two that were screaming till we could get the state patrol up there and shoot them out of there miserey..

There have been around 500 truckers killed on wolf creek pass over the years.. many country songs written about that pass...

Carey
[/quote]

That would explain it. Wow..you hit 3 elk in one winter? Time to buy one of those HUGE grates for the front of your truck...like the ones on trains. Then they just bounce off and hit other cars...


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Oregon_Camper said:


> Great pictures! The trees around here are also changing...very cool!
> 
> What's up with all the skid marks in the first picture? Wow..


That pic was taken on Wolf Creek Pass.. 10 miles down at 6-8% grades.. Its a scarry ride in a semi.. Been over it like 100 times.. Ive had my truck all chained up and still gotten stuck going up, and have lost all traction with wheel lock up coming down.. Scares the heck out of ya.. 2-3000 foot drop offs and guard rails dont stop semis..

The pic does it no justice.. Some freaked out trucker pinned his brakes cause he was scarred of losing them... The pass is full of skids from this... Also at night the deer and elk are thick.. I hit 3 elk at one time on that pass last winter.. 24k damage to my truck.. One dead elk, and two that were screaming till we could get the state patrol up there and shoot them out of there miserey..

There have been around 500 truckers killed on wolf creek pass over the years.. many country songs written about that pass...

Carey
[/quote]

That would explain it. Wow..you hit 3 elk in one winter? Time to buy one of those HUGE grates for the front of your truck...like the ones on trains. Then they just bounce off and hit other cars...








[/quote]

No jim, I hit 3 elk all at once.. I was getting towards the bottom of wolf creek westbound.. had picked up speed to about 50 in a 65mph zone.. There was about 8 feet of snow on the level just off of the highway.. It was 1am in the morn. Snowing lightly. The road had a couple of tracks of pavement still showing. It was about zero, in January.

Anyway, I came over a crest and about 50 elk were standing in a line from shoulder to shoulder.. They were sleeping in the highway.. They didnt want to go and stand in the snow, so they were standing in the hiway.. They were all against each other and facing away from be.. I pop over that ridge and all I seen was elk butts, lol..

Jammed the brake pedel thru the firewall. The elk could hear my 85,000lb semi coming.. So what do they do? They run down the highway away from me. I hit one with left fender, on in the grill, killing it instantly, and the other in the right fender..The other two still living had broken hips and screamed for an hour at me till the state patrol came.. Very sad...

I duct taped my headlights in place, and continued on my trip to Farmington, NM. Everything was shoved back, but it was still driveable, which was unbelievable..

That pass gets the most snow in colorado.. About 2-300 inches a year.. Its a terrible pass to go over and still to this day seperates the men from the boys.. Several still die every year from loosing there brakes..

Speed limit is 12mph for a loaded semi..

Carey


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Here are some pics of the west side of wolf creek.. It is 6-8% grade with a small section of 10% at the hairpin curve.. Thats where all the wrecks happen.. I have gotten stuck both going up and coming down at the hairpin.. scares the heck out of ya..









About 1/2 way down.









This area is where the snowslides happen, even with a snow shed.









A view of the hairpin.. The road ends up in the valley to the left of the pic.. 3000 feet drop off at the hairpin.









Closer pic of hairpin.









My lil dodge cummins holding back 21000lbs going down the pass. After thinkin about it, I was prolly closer to 22-23000.. I had a 3 slide 36 foot bighorn in tow.. I weigh 10k and I know that trailer was prolly 12-13000.

Carey


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

A few pics in april a few winters ago.










These two are by the snowshed.


















Not as much snow in april.. Melting pretty good. I have seen it higher than my semi some winters.. The road is closed alot with lots of snow slides.

Carey


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Here are some more taken last week west of Denver.









Lake Dillon, Dillon, Co.









Already a lil snow around Keystone, Co.









Westbound at Vail Pass.

All the rest are at Vail, Co. These are for you Wolfwood..














































Carey


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## Oregon_Camper (Sep 13, 2004)

You sure have a nice touch with taking pictures *AND* driving.


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## Carey (Mar 6, 2012)

Oregon_Camper said:


> You sure have a nice touch with taking pictures *AND* driving.


Just have to be quick.. I really dont aim or nothin. Just pic up the camera and take a real quick pic, and as you notice when traffic is not around me.. So I miss some good shots cause being safe is way more important than a pretty pic.

Carey


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## Collinsfam_WY (Nov 9, 2006)

Great stuff Carey - love hearing about the dangers of the pass. You do such a good job storytelling. You really have a way of drawing the reader in. Love those pictures of the Apsens. I know that area as we used to go to Summit County at least twice a year for skiing while I was a kid. Love it.

-CC


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## wolfwood (Sep 19, 2005)

Thanks, Carey







They're beautifull!! I simply love the brilliant oranges and reds of New England Fall - sets the hills on fire like NO WHERE else. But there's just nothing that matches that pure golden yellow of the Aspens as they get ready to sleep thru the long cold winter.

The very 1st things we planted when Wolfwood was born almost 10yrs ago were 1 doz 'clump" (multi-trunk) White Birches (aka 'Paper Birch' or 'Canoe Birch', and the New England cousin to the Aspen) with hopes of having our own "Aspen grove". Alas,







although White Birch is a New England native, it needs a far more protected environ than the exposed wind-whipped fields of Wolfwood and we've now lost them all. I haven't given up .....but your photos make it a little easier _not_ to have our own.

Keep 'em coming (but, please, stay safe while you're doing it!)....


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