If you know me, you know that autumn is by far my favorite time of year. It was that way long before I picked up a camera, and my love for the season has only grown more and more since becoming a photographer. When Lindsey and I decided to move to Colorado, one of the only negatives in my mind was that I would lose that magical east coast autumn. I knew about the changing aspens but only through photographs - and man, photographs do not do the yellow magic any justice. While making the night drive westward, some of the yellows were starting to pop out along Independence Pass. Even though it was pitch black (albeit, a full moon) you could see the vibrancy of the aspens. We made it to Crested Butte, found an awesome area for the Jeep to sleep, and hit the hay for what we knew would be a magical wake up call. Upon opening our eyes in our condensation filled car, we opened the doors to pure autumnal bliss. 

Yeah, I don't think we're going to be too heartbroken leaving the east. After a trek to town to grab some liquified buzz beans and breakfast, we set sail to get into the thick of the trees. Per usual, I wanted to find a hike off the beaten path. The area was buzzing due to the fellow leaf peepers, so solitude was a must. The hike we chose had non-stop views and magic the whole way.

  Although it was high noon, I couldn't help myself - I had to bust the drone out.

After enjoying the views for a bit, we decided to head back down the mountain. We were informed of a secret hidden three-tiered waterfall along a separate trail that we checked out briefly, then made our way through down the gorgeous Gothic Road.

A pit-stop downtown for some much needed Gyro's and Banquet's then it was off for the crown jewel of the trip - Kebler (Cookie) Pass. Fingers were crossed for bomb views and an even bomb-er sunset. Spoiler alert, we were not disappointed. The drive began with winding roads engulfed with yellow.

A trek to the gorgeous Lost Lake was next.

Then, the magic sprung. The clouds were rolling in heavier and heavier, which can only mean one thing - bomb sunset time. This wasn't a colorful sunset - but boy was she dramatic. That was perfectly fine by me, the color was all around me anyway.

As the sun made its way down the horizon, BAM, microburst. This paved the way for one of my favorite photos of the weekend, along with an insane double-rainbow.

The day ended with us going back to town, getting dinner, watching some college ball, indulging in some insanely good ice cream, then heading back to our camp site for the night. I felt ultra-fulfilled with the getaway and would have been perfectly content if thats where the magic stopped, but it didn't. We were informed by another local that the road that we were staying on looped around Gothic Mountain and we had to take the journey. We woke up to a mega-moody morning, and there was already a chill in the air that this would be an epic trek. Not even five minutes into the drive, we were astonished to find exactly what we finished the previous night with, a giant rainbow. This time at 7:00am.

Driving up this road was one of the coolest vehicular experiences ever - and we spent a month living in a van in the PNW over the summer. I never really got to take my Jeep off-roading before, so this was a very fun experience. As we climbed, the views got expansive.

Then, it felt like we were in the middle of a National Park.

The winding rocky-road continued.

Then BAM. The most gorgeous alpine lake I ever laid eyes on. We could not have gotten here at a more perfect time.

We felt so desolate. We were in the absolute guts of the Rockies. It was an amazing feeling. Not to mention you could not have asked for better autumn weather if you tried - upper 40s and breezy yup yup.

What bliss. Another stop downtown to get more bean juice and the best bagel sandwiches of all time (worth the two hour wait, luckily there was a farmers market downtown to check out). A drive through the gorgeous Ohio Pass led the way to our return trip back home.

From start to finish, this was one of the most epic weekends I've had. The autumnal views didn't stop for 36+ hours. Crested Butte left a major imprint on my soul and I'm beyond fortunate to live just a short drive away. This will be a place I visit every passing season. Cannot wait to shred the gnar atop your gorgeous peaks and dazzling landscape. Until next time, CB.