Independence Pass

Today we took our annual drive to Independence Pass to see the fall colors. This is one week later than we had gone last year, and I'm pretty sure the colors will still be great next weekend. Clearly the warm fall temperatures we've had have affected the typical color-change schedule!

the three of us at the top of Independence Pass
Nick's mom's first time at the top of Independence Pass
Cayle's dirty face after our picnic lunch

We left for the drive about 915 am and arrived home about 5 pm. We took a different route today than usual and went through Minturn, down to Leadville, up and down the pass, through Aspen, up to Glenwood Springs, and finally back to Gypsum (instead of our usual opposite direction). The drive was peaceful and scenic. We enjoyed a picnic lunch of cheese and crackers, fresh fruit, and sesame pasta salad at the remains of the old mining town of Independence. We stopped in Glenwood to get some ice cream and run by Target to get Cayle a potty. We've noticed a pattern in some of his potty habits and are going to start a small attempt at seeing if Cayle is interested in using his own potty. We also got Cayle a new floor for his new play area in the house - a bunch of alphabet tiles that fit together like a puzzle. He loved playing on his new floor tonight with his cars that can finally roll on the flooring and not get stuck on the carpet!