The Story Behind This Shot

Highway 133 curving up toward McClure Pass, Colorado, through hillsides of aspen at peak gold under a clear, deep blue sky, with a dark spruce standing out in the middle of the color. Getting low to the pavement turns the double yellow line into a leading line that pulls you into the trees. McClure Pass tops out at 8,755 feet between the Crystal River valley and Paonia on the West Elk Loop Scenic Byway, and its aspen groves are some of the brightest in the state. A bright, energetic fall road-trip print.