My Trip To Get Lift Tickets

I'm backtracking a bit to document a trip I had last autumn. I've found that the best time to purchase ski lift tickets is in September. There is a catch. One has to be physically present at the resorts to get the best deals. However, I use this inconvenience to my advantage. It gives me the perfect excuse to take a trip to Colorado during a particularly scenic time of the year.

Colorado in the middle of September offers aspen trees in full autumn regalia. This hillside near Leadville seemed to be on fire with color. Unfortunately, photos don't quite capture the moment.

The weather is delightfully cool in September - perfect for hiking. I always enjoy the first opportunity of the year to wear jeans and a sweatshirt. Plus the crowds are long gone. The hike seen above around Bear Lake in the Gore Range is normally crowded during the peak months of July and August. However when I visited in September, I had the place to myself.

One highlight of my trip was climbing this waterfall. My lungs could certainly tell that the altitude was above 9000 feet, but they enjoyed every bit of pine scented air they could get.

Another highlight was driving to Leadville. This old abandoned mining town perched on sheer 1000+ foot cliffs always intrigues me. The whole town was abandoned only about 40 years ago due to problems with a contaminated water supply. The empty ranch style houses built onto terraces on the mountainside still look quite livable. I sometimes wonder about the safety of the kids who used to live there playing near those cliffs. No fences are seen.

A quick hike right outside the Moose leads to the serene Lillypad Lake (seen above with Peak One near Frisco in the background.) In the summer, this hike is usually fairly crowded. However in the autumn my company was limited to the beavers busily gathering brush in preparation of the coming long winter season. A few "camp robber" birds were also interested in the peanut butter crackers I brought along for a snack.

After obtaining the sought after steeply discounted lift tickets, it was time to return to Wisconsin to enjoy autumn in the Midwest. The first snowfall of the season dusted the mountain peaks as I drove back over the Continental Divide at Loveland Pass - a pleasant harbinger of things to come.