Mount Elbert is a great location to visit for fall colors. The forest road starts close to a pine forest and then passes up through an aspen forest at a higher elevation.
The previous night it had snowed on the mountain peaks, with rain showers at lower elevations. I chose to capture the aspen tree tops against the background pine and aspen forests. There is a light covering of snow at the top of this image.
In the depths of the forest, one often finds odd boulders under the trees. There was an occasional breeze that afternoon. There were also large cloud banks that moved through the sky. There was a thin long blade of grass that was moving in the breezed. I waited patiently for a cloud bank to provide overcast lighting. When the breeze to paused, I managed to capture this image.
Close to this location on the forest road is a beaver pond that I frequently visit. During the fall, the pond reveals abstract patterns as the colors are reflected in the water.
Once the leaves drop, they become a carpet of yellow. Looking straight down, I captured an image showing some of the leaves. Soon the leaves turn brown and start to decay, so I included them in this image.
Looking towards the base of Mount Elbert, I was fascinated by the layering of the colors in the forest. In this image, there are alternating bands of color from the pine and aspen forests.
After returning home via Buena Vista, I took another forest round that passes several ponds. More reflections as the reeds and grasses at the edge of the pond were reflected in the water. I also included some of the reflections in the pond from more distant aspen trees.
In this final image, I included more detail of the grasses and bushes across the other side of the pond. I like the way that the grasses are mirrored in the water.
All for now.