Even though we've been very busy, what with Scott now working full-time and helping Caroline with home staging activities after-hours, we were feeling anxious to see as much fall color as possible this year, before the leaves are all on the ground.  After working hard all Friday evening to de-stage a home that we were informed on Thursday was scheduled to close just over a week later (giving us only one weekend to dismantle the job), we hit the road at 6:00 am on Saturday and headed to Colorado Springs.  We had been so busy prior to departure that we didn't have much time to plan, and so we didn't really know what to expect (isn't that half the fun?!).  But the weather forecast was warm and sunny (unlike last weekend's thunderstorms, wind and rain) and hey, how bad can Colorado be, we reasoned. 

Upon leaving the New Mexico desert that we call home and entering the mountains of New Mexico as we headed north on I-25, the aspens were in full color and their fiery-yellow leaves were simply ablaze in the warm, fall sunshine.  Pay-dirt!  Our first stop in Colorado was the top of Pikes Peak.  Wow, just wow!  Although it was a difficult (and expensive!) drive to the top - Caroline had difficulty breathing as we climbed in altitude - it was worth it!  The summit, where we ended up, is at 14,115 feet and the vistas all around are so majestic and far-flung that it is similar to the view from an airplane.  Pretty cool.  After coming down the mountain, we took a very pleasant hike in the Red Rock Canyon Open Space (thankfully free-of charge, as we are on quite a budget these days), where we were surrounded by beautiful red rocks and colorful fall foliage.  After briefly scoping out downtown dinner options, we headed to our amazing Priceline score of a hotel, the Crown Plaza, a short drive from downtown and at $42 plus tax, an amazing deal!  We had a wonderful dinner at the lively, but cozy Phantom Canyon Brew Pub, which was very similar to the brew pub we dined at in Alamosa, CO last year.  This led us to believe that these places are a dime a dozen, even in small-town Colorado (we don't have them in Albuquerque), but the pleasant folks at the front desk of the Crown Plaza seemed a little hard-pressed to come up with any additional brew-pub suggestions for us.  Hmmmm...perhaps they aren't quite as ubiquitous as we thought.

After a good night's sleep, we hit the road on Sunday morning headed for Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.  The drive there on US 24 was gorgeous - winding mountain roads and lots of fall color.  We weren't really sure what to expect at Florissant but it was on a scenic drive route, and we could get in free with our annual National Parks pass, so we thought we'd check it out.  We're not that into fossils but not to worry, since, as it turns out, most of their famous fossils that were originally found there are now located at museums all over the US and UK, so there weren't too many fossils to see!  The giant petrified redwood stumps were mildly interesting, but we were more interested in the hiking opportunities.  Upon the helpful advice of the friendly park ranger with a Boston accent, we chose the Boulder Creek Trail, taking it through wooded forests  and golden grasslands (more bright yellow aspens!).  This is where we would be most likely to see and/or hear the elk that reside there, the park ranger told us.  Although our weekend was a little late in the season, fall is rutting season for the male elk, who can sometimes be seen locking antlers in violent fights with one another, in an attempt to win mating privileges.  Also at this time, as part of the mating ritual, they can be heard bugling far into the distance. Sadly, we did not witness any of this; we only saw a lone female elk who ran from us before we could even see her clearly and heard only gunshots in the distance, presumably outside the park's perimeter, as this was hunting season.  But the trail was beautiful, so peaceful and serene, and it was a perfect sunny, fall morning (and the black, tufted-ear Abert's squirrels were kind of cute, as was Scott as he chased them around with the camera).

While giving us some helpful information regarding seeing the Royal Gorge Bridge, the park ranger we spoke with earlier whet our appetites for seeing a giant gold mine that was roughly on our route to the bridge.  However, after a bit of driving around and having trouble finding our way on the tiny, unmarked country roads, we made a beeline for the bridge as, sadly, there are only so many hours in a 2-day weekend.  We were initially intrigued with the thought of seeing the bridge because they have a really cool-looking retro-stylized drawing of it, reminiscent of the California parks drawings, on billboards and in magazines that we had seen.  As it turns out, they have turned the bridge into a giant theme park and they charge $24/adult just to get close to it.  They do have a parking lot somewhat nearby where you can get out and take a look, but it was pretty underwhelming (not to mention disappointing after a long drive).  Although this gorge is deeper and the whole thing appears a bit grander, we enjoyed the similar bridge at the Rio Grande Gorge near Taos, NM much more because it is styled more like a free rest stop where you can park, get out and walk over the bridge, affording a wonderful view down into the gorge from the bridge. 

At last, it was time for the long, but pleasant enough drive home, after a highly satisfying (gorge withstanding) weekend!

Pikes Peak summit

On the trail at Red Rock Canyon Open Space

Caroline enjoys the crisp fall morning at Florissant Fossil Beds NM

Mmmm - more eye-candy along the trail at Florissant!

An Abert's squirrel poses in profile, displaying its ear tufts for us

Royal Gorge Bridge, perched high above the Arkansas River