Aspens turning yellow

From Albuquerque we drove north and arrived in Durango, Colorado, on the afternoon of September 25th. After checking into our motel, and with several hours of daylight left, I decided to drive north on US 550, and am I glad I did. The dots along that route on the AAA map weren’t lying about the scenery as we slowly climbed into the San Juan Mountains. Before long I had my first chance ever to see some of Colorado’s aspen trees, Populus tremuloides, turning yellow. The biggest and brightest stands were initially up in the surrounding mountains, but I used my longest lens to bring the trees (visually) closer.

© 2014 Steven Schwartzman