San Juan Mountains in Fall- Red Mountain

Aspen along mining trail

The fall of 2013 proved to be unusually late for aspen to turn in the area around Ridgway, but at higher elevations, such as along highway 550 ("Million Dollar Highway") the aspen were at  or near peak color during my visit there.

Tech info:  Canon 5DII, 35 mm focal length, polarizer

A short drive above the highway on CR 31, I found this old abandoned mine structure.

Yankee Girl Mine

 A little way higher up the trail is Yankee Girl Mine, which is one of the more well-preserved and well-known mine structures in the area.  

Storm clouds moving through mountains

A few days later, I was driving north on Highway 550 when heavy snow started falling on a couple of the mountain passes.  At both Molas Pass and Red Mountain Pass, there was probably between one and two inches of snow and sleet on the ground as I drove through.  I didn't stop to take any photos until I reached lower elevations, but the shot above, taken near Ouray, shows the clouds that were moving through some of the lower peaks.

Aspen Grove along Highway 550

This photo was taken once I reached lower elevations on my snowy drive along Highway 550.  A light mix of snow and rain was falling, as you may be able to detect in the distance.