Boreas Pass 2012

Pam and I went to Boreas Pass this past Saturday, September 8th. We make this trip at least once a year. Lorraine’s ashes (Pam’s mother) were dispersed  at the top of Boreas Pass per Lorraine’s wishes more than 20 years ago.

It was a gorgeous day. Bright, temperate, and just a light breeze blowing made this one of the best days we have had at the top of the pass.  The fall colors are beginning to show more strongly with about 20 – 30 percent of the aspen turning color, and Boreas Pass is a good place to go leaf-peeping.

Boreas Pass Road, Fall 2012

There were not a lot of changes at the restored section house and cabin at the top of the pass. Normally we see more flowers blooming, but this visit is later in the year than usual for us and not much was in bloom. The night time temps are probably below freezing already.

Boreas Pass Roadhouse, Fall 2012

After stopping a while, walking the dogs, and taking in the scenery while Pam “spoke” to her mom, we headed down the Como side of the pass en route to visiting the lot at 179 Sanderling Court.

We close on the lot this coming Friday. We wanted to see if the aspen on the lot had begun to turn colors – just a slight tinge so far – and do some more walking around. Pam had never been to the higher parts of the lot and I wanted to show her a potential building site she had not seen before.

We both agreed this alternate building spot on the east (left) side of the lot is better than the initial place I had identified. The first spot is on the west (right) side of the lot in the aspen. It is a little flatter but with more limited views. A drive would have had to be cut through the aspen grove, not a real appealing plan to Pam as she would like to keep the grove intact. The alternate spot is higher up the slope on the eastern part of the lot, has very good views, and is in a “saddle” area with both pine and aspen present. The area is fairly flat; some excavation would have to be done to site a building, but not a great deal.

Then there is “Pam’s Pavilion Point,” an outcropping of rock a couple of minutes walk  from the saddle. Excellent views, accessible without having to hike to the back of the lot, and big enough to use as the base for a small gazebo, Pavilion Point is a definite reason to pick this area for a cabin.

Pavilion Point

The saddle area is down by the larger pine tree in the right-center of the photo. Kicker is the drive way, which would have to go up a fairly steep incline before it got to the top of a mostly level ridge. From the top it would be an easy build back to the saddle area. I am going to meet with the driveway contractor whom we have contacted earlier and see what options we have in driveway construction.  If this detail can be worked out, and our rough plan indicates it is do-able, the saddle area would be the spot where we would put our cabin.

We finished our day trip by driving into Fairplay and finding the bank building where the closing will take place, then home. It was just about a 12-hour on-the-road day, and we were tired when we got home, but it was a good trip. We are looking forward to the closing this Friday so we can finally say “It’s ours!”

Pam on Pavilion Point

I did not take many photos this trip so do not have a gallery link. I did add a couple new photos to the Boreas Pass collection, first published after our visit last year. Later I will start a Sanderling Court gallery and will be adding to it as we start working the lot.

That’s it for now. Thanks for looking in!