While Texans are still waiting for the cooler temperatures associated with autumn, the Rocky Mountains are already celebrating the change of seasons in spectacular fashion. At a mere 10,007 feet above sea level, going over Kebler Pass might not be on your bucket list .... unless you've seen one of the nation's most expansive groves of aspen trees transform into a colorful paradise during peak foliage.
And all at once, summer collapsed into fall.
—Oscar Wilde
Kebler Pass is a 33-mile-long gravel road that links Crested Butte, Colorado with Colorado State Highway 133 at Paonia, Colorado. In late September through early October, everyone from professional photographers and casual "leaf peepers" make the pilgrimage to central Colorado to join the procession of cars on Kebler Pass and the adjoining Ohio Pass with its famous Castle Rock.
In Colorado, the journey can be as fascinating as the destination. For a lot of Texans heading west, the city of Trinidad is the entry point for an adventure in the Rocky Mountains. We fuel up by relishing a scrumptious green chili omelet at La Quinta Inn, served up by friendly staff, and hit the road on a picture-perfect morning.
Next stop - the charming little town of Westcliffe (Pop. 500). This adventure would eventually generate memories of feisty brown trout, a great pizza at Moonlight Pizza in Salida and quaint, one-of-a-kind shops in Leadville, but tearing open a blueberry muffin in front of Tumbleweed Bakery in Westcliffe and watching steam pour off the fresh, hot pastry in the chilly morning air was just another reminder of why this town should be on every traveler's list.
We washed the muffin down with strong, black java and equally tasty tea at Peregrine Coffee and take off for the Arkansas River. The map says it's only 30 minutes to the river, but anticipation of working this Gold Medal trout stream makes it seem like hours before you are watching a brown trout explode through the surface and shake free from the lure. You move upstream a few yards and the rod tip dips as another hard strike quickens your heartbeat. This time the trout is willing to pose for a photo before swimming off.
With my fishing fix satisfied, the next stop is a riverside lunch at The Boathouse Restaurant in Salida with its world-famous sweet potato fries. As you crunch on fries, trout are munching on flies floating down the river. The high-protein bugs will nourish them through the fast-approaching winter.
Our home base for this trip was Buena Vista, Colorado, because of its proximity to several popular tourist destinations. If you head west out of town, Main Street turns into Cottonwood Pass and tops out at 12,126 feet before weaving its way down the west side of the Continental Divide to the little town of Almont. Now that both sides of Cottonwood Pass are paved, this 58-mile drive is a sports car lover's dream. At Almont, we turn north toward Crested Butte for a little shopping before taking in the awesome fall foliage along Kebler Pass and Ohio Pass.
From Buena Vista, head north and it is only an hour's drive to the top of Independence Pass (12,095 feet).
The Upper Arkansas River that runs from near Leadville, down through Buena Vista and then Salida is another regional attraction. Fishermen use flies and lures to work their favorite stretches of this river for one week each year and then dream about it for the other 51 weeks.
Once the whirlwind tour of the Rockies was over, with its kaleidoscope of colors and all the visions of peaks, valleys and rivers, one image seemed more important than all the rest. It was a simple church sign on the outskirts of Buena Vista that reminded all of us, "No Matter Who Wins the Election, God is Still in Charge."
photos by Allen and Cindy Rich