Visiting Boreas Pass, Three Weeks Late

I drove up into the mountains to Boreas Pass, located just above Breckenridge, Colorado last week to take photographs of the fall colors. It wasn't until I got there that I realized that I was weeks late, and most of the aspens had lost all their leaves. I usually make this trip in mid-September, but for some reason didn't get around to it until now. The photograph on the left is of the one spot along the entire route that still had a bit of color. I guess it is no surprise, since Boreas Pass is at an elevation of 11,493 feet, and snow is just around the corner.

Most of the road up the pass looked like the photo on the right, the trees looking very barren. During the winter, this road is closed to car traffic, and is a very popular cross country ski trail. Years ago my then wife Lisa and I would drive up here, park at the trailhead, and cross country ski up to the water tower, which served trains on the railroad line which once occupied this road. I must say, I have not done any cross country skiing since we got divorced, and am not sure why. I am positive, however, that it has nothing to do with age. After all, I am still fit as a fiddle, as we hipsters like to say.

After driving for a few miles, I turned around and drove back to Breckenridge (seen in the photo on the left), which was actually alive with fall colors, not to mention fall tourists. This is a beautiful former mining town from the 1800s, and has been gentrified to an extent that no miner from that era would ever recognize it. Breckenridge is filled with upscale boutiques, restaurants, and bars that now occupy those 19th century structures. I have visited other mining towns in Colorado, such as Leadville, that still look like 19th century mining towns, and visiting them depresses the hell out of me, as if remembering a past life as a miner. My friend Stuart tells me that Leadville has been gentrified, too, and is now on a par with Breckenridge. I don't believe it for a minute. I will stick with Breckenridge, even if I can't afford to stay there. I am just happy to be able to visit for the day.