October 2, 2005 - The Ramparts

The Ramparts is a rock formation on the western slope of the La Plata mountains above Mancos, Colorado. It is less than 20 miles from our home. We started out the day slow and easy then decided it was time for a ride up higher and in deeper into the La Platas to see the Fall color changes. When we stopped for supplies at the P&D in Mancos, Krista got to park Phoebe next to a fine 1955 Cadillac Coupe DeVille. What a treat! East of Mancos is a road that heads north from US 160 known as Echo Basin Road. Up at the end of the pavement, the San Juan National Forest offers many service roads for scenic mountain driving. As we neared the Ramparts, aspen clusters of many colors appeared. We shot 166 pictures of the ride and here are our favorite 50. The cloud coverage made it a bit challenging to get good pictures with our el cheapo WalMart digicam but we hope you enjoy the shots below. Click any thumbnail for a bigger view.

30 & 50 year old classics!	blast from the past!	heavy metal thunder!	into the colors!	colors on the rise
a few flowers still	the Ramparts behind us	a little brighter	a bouquet!	the Ramparts
more color in the sun	heavy metal thunder!	yes!	speckles of it	last leg to the edge
priceless!	Lake Jackson and beyond	the edge	camo cow!	on the edge
Mesa Verde & Sleeping Ute	to the south	to the west	take it in	soak it up
to the north	fingers!	ahhhh	peace	guardian tree
ridges...	more Ramparts	regrowth	lunch time	show off
Phoebe's view	MOO!	MOOOO!	MOOOOVE!	beyond cows
aspens changing	got 'er feet muddy	check the oranges!	mixed colors	climbing higher
going in deeper	up in the spruce	tailing seperator	attitude of altitude	10,300 ft in 2WD!

If you ain't livin on the edge, then yer taken up too much room...