I love this time of year. The air has a crispness to it. Gone are the days of the wind bearing a warmth and instead there is a slight chill to every breeze. Cloudy mornings clear to reveal fresh, white snow on the peaks. The mountains erupt with color and the evergreens are contrasted sharply by the vibrant gold aspen groves. The golden leaves add interest to the local well buffed, dirt biking and hiking trails. There is a musty smell of fallen leaves when you venture into the forest. In all of my travels, I have experienced few things as beautiful as standing in and surrounded by a bright gold aspen grove and watching the sun slant through the leaves. When a stiff breeze hits the trees, they release their leaves for the year and the forest becomes a snow globe of golden aspen leaves. Truly breathtaking.

My wife, daughter and I took a little drive into the mountains heading to Silverton this last weekend and the color was stunning. Here are a couple of pictures I snapped quickly from my camera phone.