Road to Autumn

Photograph Story | Road to Autumn

I absolutely love fall. I anticipate the cool air, changing leaves and hitting the road to explore each and every year. Fall is most certainly my happiest time of the year.

While living in Arizona, I drove north to stay in Durango, Colorado during peak fall foliage. I drove north, south, east and west from Durango to take in as many epic mountainous fall views as possible. I was on the road constantly, popping in and out of my Jetta every time I saw something inspiring and beautiful.

This photograph was a view I happened to catch in my rear-view mirror while driving into Telluride. I was driving on CO-145 N, from Dolores. After visiting Telluride, my plan was to continue heading north, through Ridgway, before heading south to Durango. I was never going to approach this view head on during my travels and could have easily missed it entirely.

I noticed the blanket of aspens while driving through the mountains and even stopped prior to the turn in the road to photograph another grand view. Once back in my car, I noticed the snow capped mountain peaks in my rear-view mirror. As I reached the top of the hill, I could see the entire scene unfolding and immediately pulled off the road.

I jumped out of my Jetta with my mouth wide open. This view was unreal. So much goodness.

A constant reminder in the back of my mind while out exploring is to look behind me. There have been many occasions when an amazing surprise was waiting for me, after doing a 180* turn.

This is still one of my favorite surprises.