The recipe for our annual late-September drive is different every year, but the goal is always the same: get up into the mountains and see what the changing season has to offer.
This year's adventure started with one part Lakewood suburb. We added a generous portion of the Peak-to-Peak scenic byway, marking the first proper mountain road trip in our EV. The route brought us to a simmer at 9,200 feet at the foot of the Moffat Tunnel—a silent monument to Colorado's rugged ambition. Garnish liberally with dramatic cloud cover and take the scenic route home.
The entire loop was under 150 miles, a perfect, stress-free way to finally let the car stretch its legs on a real mountain adventure. Here’s how this year's pilgrimage looked.
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| Up high, the peaks already wear a dusting of winter. A reminder that the seasons wait for no one. |
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| Where sunshine breaks through, the hillsides come alive. Patches of aspen gold scattered amongst the evergreens. |
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| The weather was a show in itself, with dramatic clouds and brilliant blue skies sharing the stage. |
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| Autumn in the foreground, winter approaching on the horizon. The Peak-to-Peak Highway offers views across the seasons. |
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| Driving through groves like this, you feel completely immersed in the color of the season. |
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| Sometimes the best part of the drive is the quiet side road that promises a different view. |
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| Even through the haze and low-hanging clouds, the mountains make their presence known. |
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| The sheer scale of the landscape —and the clouds rolling over it— is always humbling. |
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| Every turn on the byway reveals another texture: granite cliffs, golden aspen, and deep green pine. |
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| The brilliant contrast of aspen against pine is what this annual pilgrimage is all about. |
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| Nearing our destination for the day: the railroad tracks that lead to the East Portal of the Moffat Tunnel. |
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| Looking down the line, you can almost feel the weight of that "rugged ambition" that carved this path straight through the Continental Divide. |
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| I love how the aspen groves trace the contours of the mountains, creating rivers of gold that flow through the dark pine. |
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| Tucked away and slowly being reclaimed by the forest, a relic from a different era. |
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| You can't help but wonder about the stories held by these old cabins that dot the high-country meadows. |
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| Of course, the mountains are never truly quiet. We were watched over by the local residents, like this little Least Chipmunk. |
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| And a lone Common Raven patrolled the skies... |
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| ...a stark silhouette against the shifting clouds. |
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| Amtrak's westbound California Zephyr, just moments from plunging into the darkness of the Moffat Tunnel. |
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| The perfect end to our stop at the end of the road: watching the train disappear into the mountain. A truly awesome display of engineering meeting nature. |
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| And one last surprise for the drive back toward Rollinsville —the iconic Rocky Mountaineer gliding through a sea of autumn color. |
Wherever your road takes you today, I hope you find a view that makes you stop and smile.
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