Ever wonder where the Rio Grande got its start?
If you follow the Rio Grande upstream about as far as it goes — to where the Rio Grande is still a rio muy pequeño — you’ll wind up a little west of Creede, Colorado. Fortunately, most Colorado tourists have overlooked this area because it’s a long way from major airports and ski resorts, but there’s a loyal Texas and Oklahoma crowd that usually arrive in RVs for riverside camping, or in 4-wheel-drive vehicles for exploring the mountains.
It’s a great place year-around, but — until last week — I’d never been there for the real “peak” color of the aspen leaves in the fall. They’re beautiful, but they’re quick! In the space of a week, lots of the aspen leaves went from green to gone. Fortunately, I got a few pictures before they all disappeared.
———–
————
Pine beetles are a constant scourge in Colorado, and a few years back a wave came through and killed a bunch of trees. The locals call it “Beetle Kill.” The bugs eat the mature evergreens but don’t touch the aspen. Lots of the pictures have at least a few obvious dead trees. The shots below are of areas where the evergreens are essentially wiped out. It looks as though the aspen will quickly take over the open space.