Colorado- Leadville and the San Juan Mountains

This summer has been a crazy one with PT school starting in June. Despite the busy school schedule I have still had the chance to get out on some adventures and take a few photos.
The first leg of this trip was to Leadville for the 100 mile MTB race.  I rode 8:13 which was better than I had anticipated. The first half of these pictures are from Mayflower Gulch which is near Leadville.
After the race I headed from Colorado to Tennessee for three weeks, and then back to Colorado. The second time to Colorado I visited the Great Sand Dunes National Park, and then met up with the Perry Boys for the Man Trip 2016, through the San Juan mountains, and then by Mesa Verde on my way home.

An abandoned mining building in Mayflower Gulch near Leadville

More buildings in Mayflower Gulch, near Leaville

Wildflowers in bloom in mayflower gulch

The wildflowers give the rustic mining cabins  a nice trim. 

Mary and Bennett practice walking at 12,000'

Photographer error ends up in a very interesting photo. the stars look like they're falling because of a bump in the camera. the light in the clouds is lightning striking. the Milkyway in the background- Great Sand Dunes National Park

The morning fog rolling over the sand dunes was quite an experience

Great Sand Dunes National Park, Colorado

The road that leads into Great Sand Dunes National Park. 

Perry Boys sitting around the campfire listening to the BYU football game

4 Generations of Perry came to the man camp. 

The sunset and rainbow over the ranch cabins where Grandpa was staying

The horses at the cabin where grandpa was staying. 

The cebola river.  I caught 14 itsy bitsy fish on this trip

Mt. Umcompaghre towers over the San Juan range, the highest peak in the San Juans at 14, 308'

Abandoned mining building on Cinnamon Pass

Waterfall cascading at Cinnamon pass

The air is thin at 12,640

Animas forks above Silverton. this may be my favorite valley in Colorado

Aerial Views of the road up Cinnamon pass

The winding road up Cinnamon Pass. A bucketlist drive for sure

Dad posing for the pictures at Animas Forks

The view from the pass between Silverton and Durango on the Million dollar highway

Spruce Tree House at Mesa Verde National Park 

Wild Turkeys were the only visitors we saw at the Spruce Tree house

More cliff dwellings from Mesa Verde National Park. More than 600 cliff dwelling and 4600 sites can be found within the park alone. The 4 corners area is rich with history.  (pictured is Tower House)

A view through a window in the Sun Temple clifftop dwelling. 

The Sunset was a very stereotypical Southwest Sunset. Beautiful in the simplicity.