Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

It was the perfect weekend to go see the aspens. I think we hit right at the peak, so if you want to see the colors, you don't have much time left.

I picked up my nephews Eric and Andrew at 830 and headed up to Idaho Springs to meet the group at 930. It turned out to be Alec, Shaggy, Zig and me. We waited for Moon but after a half hour took off without him.

Here we are taking Hwy 103 out of Idaho Springs toward Mt Evans. The turnoff to Devils Canyon is almost invisible from this direction. It was 70+ degrees and a beautiful day to open the sunroof.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Here are the first bits of color on our way up.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

definitely need more pics

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Why does work always have to get in the way of a good time ;)


As we topped a rise, this is what popped into view. The trail is a series of loops that go all over and around the mountain.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Beautiful groves of aspen extend from hillside to hillside

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Here's Shaggy in a sea of yellow. There's still some green up here, so you have another weekend to enjoy the colors.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Uh-oh, here come's some weather. Here's Mike (Zigsrig) pulling over for a pic.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

This meadow made a great place for a snack.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Looky what we got above treeline :dancingbanana:

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Remember that part about the weather?

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

But on the other side of the hill ... sunshine and blue sky.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

My nephews Andrew, Eric and myself (left to right). Andrew is over six feet tall, so I took good advantage of the road grade. Andrew is about to enlist in the Navy. Eric is in college thinking about mechanical design.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Devils Canyon was really a short trail, so we decided to run over the Bill Moore lake. Zig had to get back to town, so that left Alec & Kathy, Shaggy, and us for the rest of the day.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

nice close-up of the mine

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Here's Andrew on an old stone foundation next to the mine.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

It's hard to keep your eyes on the road when there's so much to see all around :D

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Great pics, looks like a good time!:beerchug:

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Lots of loose rock on this trail. My locker failed (again), and I had a hard time getting up the last hill. This was a good spot for a breather.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

We kept climbing higher and higher. We never quite reached treeline, but weren't far from it.

Re: Colorado Devils Canyon & Bill Moore Lake 9/16/06
 

Now we're in it. At this point, snowmelt and runoff were turning parts of the trail into mud. It got really slick at the bottom of this hill.