Fall in Colorado

I can't believe it is already October! September just flew by. With Rylan starting preschool, stomach bugs for the whole family, a cold for me, dentist appointments, six meetings for MOPS, working my regular plus on-call shifts, and my first big craft project for MOPS at the end of the month, a new baby cousin born in Kentucky, we have had a lot going on in our family!
On Saturday, the kids and I drove up to Aspen to see the most photographed mountains in Colorado, the Maroon Bells. It really was too long of a drive (especially with multiple side-of-the-road potty stops) for just a day trip, but the beauty of Colorado mountains in the fall did not disappoint. I would love to go back to Aspen to explore someday. We just saw a small part of the charming town while driving through and it felt like a tease. We were able to park just a short hike from the lake which was perfect for the kids. After a picnic, we explored the trail along the lakeshore. The kids loved hiding in the tall grass, climbing rocks, and throwing pebbles into the lake. It was a nice open space for them to just run free and play. With such a breathtaking background, I couldn't really take a bad picture. I will probably take several posts to share the best ones.


The hillsides are turning gold.
Getting closer to the bells, with a grove of aspen in the foreground.

I think aspen are my favorite trees. Love the combination of gold leaves with the straight white trunks.

The sun finally peeked out a bit and I got this great picture of the Maroon Bells with the trees' reflection in the water.