Fall Coddiwompling
After this miserably (to me!) hot and muggy summer, it was so nice to finally get out into the hills and be camping!! Only getting three trips this entire year was hard on both of us -- we still feel like we could do at least two or three more, if only the weather would cooperate. Our Top of the Rockies trip (see previous post) gave us some extremely pleasant evenings and
mornings, and although it was a bit early for good fall colors that week, we were thoroughly happy to be able to sit by a campfire and relax.
Our latest excursion brought us to Cimarron and the early morning view, seen above, across a ranch meadow. As a result of the gorgeous morning, we ended up 'coddiwompling' much farther along the backroad than we'd originally planned, and breakfast didn't happen until
almost noon. For those who may have missed my Instagram reel about coddiwompling, it means "to travel in a purposeful manner toward a vague or unknown destination." Honestly, the morning was perfect for coddiwompling. We made plenty of stops to take photos of the glowing fall colors, we watched for wildlife, and we simply enjoyed the warm sunshine and crisp mountain air.
While we were taking photos at one of our many stops, we heard an elk bugle and quickly looked around for the herd! We spotted them near an aspen grove some distance away and of course, they dashed into the trees and brush before we could get any photos. I consoled myself that, in any case, they were too far away even for my big telephoto lens.
The gravel road toward Silver Jack Reservoir is kept in good shape because it's heavily used by ranchers, campers, backcountry adventurers, fishermen, hunters, and leaf-peepers. As
seen in the photo above, it's treated periodically with magnesium chloride for dust control, which works great unless you travel on it immediately after it's sprayed. We found that out the hard way a few years ago! (View my July 2022 post, "Anniversary Adventures" and see the incredibly sticky gunk that was on everything.)
The Cimarron Ridge formations begin to come into view a few miles before reaching the reservoir. These make up some of our favorite geology in Colorado, and we keep coming back to the area. This branch of the San Juan Range runs north and south, and includes such well-known peaks as Courthouse Mountain and Chimney Rock, considered one of the most difficult climbs in Colorado. This section near Silver Jack Reservoir is made up of tuff breccia (basically, hardened volcanic ash), which explains the deep erosional features. According to the USGS, it's apparently considered to be the eroded remains of a larger volcanic ash pile that once surrounded several volcanos.
The view above right is Cimarron Ridge HP (or High Point), as seen from the north near Beaver Lake. We spoke briefly with a Japanese or Korean lady who was the only person in
the campground the previous night. She was enjoying her solitude and the gorgeous scenery as much as we were. I hope she went home with beautiful and memorable photos, too.
Very soon, we arrived at our favorite viewpoint along the Cimarron River valley, located at the crossroads where the road extends south beyond Silver Jack Reservoir to the higher trailheads and Owl Creek Pass, which crosses near Chimney Rock along the route to Ridgway.
Every visit to this spot prompts me to try for photos of this view of High Mesa (left), but past attempts were only moderately satisfying. I'm much happier with this view thanks to the deep morning shadows on the breccia formations and the contrasting aspen glow. The scene always made me wonder what's on the other side of the turrets, along the Little Cimarron River. One year, we ventured partway up the steep and winding route to the top of the mesa, but encountered snow on the top third, so we turned back before the steepest climb. Google Maps shows it's a mesa with a nearly flat top, although this perspective certainly doesn't show it. Right after I took the photo, we were finally hungry enough to return to camp for breakfast.
After breakfast, we explored a side road we'd never driven before, and found it led to some ranches in a pretty valley. I wish I could live here. In the view above, the north face of High Mesa is the flat-topped mountain near the center back. The photo at left shows a ranch
driveway that meanders around the valley and a knob below Fitzpatrick Mesa, seen in the background. Parts of the valley and its surroundings are visible from Highway 50 as it descends into the Cimarron valley west of Blue Mesa Reservoir. On a past trip, we'd seen a herd of elk near here from Highway 50, so we watch for them every time we travel below Fitzpatrick Mesa. This time, all we saw were cattle and a pair of young eagles with something capturing their interest some distance from the road.
Next, we drove up the hill toward the mesa, and thanks to the recent rainstorms, we discovered this little waterfall cascading down the hill. The colors surrounding the unnamed ephemeral stream were wonderful, too!
During the afternoon, we decided to see if there were any areas with pretty color near Ridgway and the San Juans there. Unfortunately, many of the aspen groves outside Ridgway are sickly and had already lost their leaves, so the colors were rather sparse. One of the several side roads we usually try to visit is Last Dollar Road, the location of many iconic photographs and paintings of Colorado landscapes. This year, the absence of snow made the San Juan views too bland for me to be really happy with my photos. But that often seems to be the nature of the game. Timing! In other words, finding a great location on the right day, with ideal weather conditions, the right light, and minimal crowds can be a bit of a gamble.
I always like this view of Mt. Sneffels and the Sneffels Range with the dried grasses in the
foreground. I have various iterations of it dating back several years. This was the first time we'd been there when there was absolutely no snow on the mountains, which reminds us how very dry the summer was (Oops! I almost spelled that as "simmer!").
As always, it seems that Colorado's fall colors attract my camera most. We're already looking forward to seeing what next year's autumn explorations bring.
Please let me know in the Comments how you enjoyed these views of our coddiwomple through some of the brilliant fall colors around parts of western Colorado, or connect with me here: Contact. I've posted a few new photos to my website, so be sure to check them out. Can you visualize one or more on your own walls at home? Or if the budget is a bit tight, many of my pieces are available as items that are practical and useful as well as beautiful -- mugs, tote bags, throw pillows, and more!
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