Three items first posted here two years ago today.
In all my years living in the West (more than 35), I had never been to Aspen, Colorado. And I had never been to see the Maroon Bells, in the Maroon Bells-Snowmass wilderness just southwest of Aspen. I guess I saved the best for now.
Though these photos taken in midday largely wash out the color, the Maroon Bells are actually maroon, and as you can see they are shaped much like bells. They are, according to the Forest Service, the most photographed mountains in North America. North Maroon Peak (on the right) rises to 14,014 feet above sea level; South Maroon Peak to 14,156 feet.
Maroon Creek Road ends just above Maroon Lake. These photos were taken in that area. We took a short hike, but downstream away from the panorama.
[Click the images to advance through the slideshows.]
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Colorado Highway 92, the West Elk Loop, parallels part of the north rim of Gunnison Canyon, though upstream from the dramatic Black Canyon of the Gunnison. The views from the highway turnouts are terrific if limited, though again I was unable to get the colors and shadows that the light earlier or later in the day might have enabled. Still, here’s a sample. Click image to advance through the slideshow.
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The third longest river in America begins on the north side of the pyramid shaped summit you see in the distance in the first photograph [below], the 13,821-foot Rio Grande Pyramid in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. From there the river flows nearly 1,900 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. In the foreground are some of the lakes and wetlands that form the Rio Grande headwaters. The second photo shows more of the wetlands downstream. The third and fourth the river as it bends and bows across another meadow, still above 9,000 feet.
Photos taken Sunday afternoon. Not the best time of day for lighting, but I hope to head back to this area soon. It was stunningly beautiful, with the exception of Creede, Colorado, the rattiest town I’ve ever seen (at least the part I drove through).
As the eagle flies, the Rio Grande Pyramid is about 18 miles ESE of Silverton, Colorado.
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