Road Trip - Platoro

 

 

Fellow Travelers,

Today was a good day to travel in the comfort of a vehicle.

Before I met you guys, I took the following photo of Walton Pond on 4UR Ranch, which is located between Creede and South Fork.

Wagon Wheel Gap is to the extreme left of the image.

Love those clouds and sidelight.

 

The trip to Platoro was also delightful.

 

 

 

And the hamburgers and cobler were not bad either.

Bob.

 

Platoro trip Photos

Six carloads drove from the South Fork along Park Creek, then into the Alamosa basin and over to the Conejos Basin.  We marveled at the bright golds, yellows, greens, oranges, and colors without a name. Texas friends commented on the morning snow cover above 11,000' and the ice and snow falling on our way home.

 

We all enjoyed a tasty lunch at Skyline Lodge, drove around to look at water features and more multi-colored aspen. Thanks for the cheerful spirit and patience with the photographers.  It was a harmonious day.

 

NEXT TUESDAY:  We have a request to carry a light-weight wooden sign to place at Fremont's Christmas Camp. Bob and Dennis and I talked it over and we're interested. This is a volunteer mission for the Forest Service and for our own satisfaction.

If you want to search for this place again (we haven't been there this year--it's a logical next step for our Fremont series), please join us  by 9 a.m. at the South Fork Visitor Center with several layers to deal with changing weather. We will be near timberline, although probably not dangerously exposed.  The walking is partly on trail and partly in the rough.

--Doug Knudson 873-5239

 

Rich colors and vertical forms

 

Aspen papparazzi?

 

early snow of autumn, Park Cr Drainage

 

Lookout Mtn

 

Clones and layers

 

Terrain near Stunner

 

Skyline Lodge

 

Sue Davolt/Susan Stewart

 

Conejos R and hillside

 

A few Platoro Photos

Magnificent! Peak of the season! There's a pink one! Stop the car… please!

A different "hike" opened our autumnal season. An dozen took a leisurely ride in comfortable cars and only three people used the steering devices and accelerators. The rest selected places to stop to enjoy the most colorful element in "Colorful Colorado."

As was stated in my car: "We are very fortunate to live among this stunning beauty"; "I'm so glad I stayed long enough to see this." The multiple colors of Platoro aspen, backed by beautiful mountains and deep blue water, stirred souls and activated camera shutters. Our pictures of this special part of Colorado will decorate many messages and computers for a long time.

Lunch at Skyline Lodge seemed to satisfy our unstressed energy centers.

Thanks to Barbara Pankhurst for joining us just before departing for Longview, TX. We also enjoyed having Ozzie and Eve with us again.

Next week please join one of the other hikes (Monday and Thursday at 9 a.m.) or lead one of your own. --

Doug Knudson