Extremes of drought and monsoon have given us a truly unique leaf-peeping season. Our leaves haven’t failed to stun us with their dazzling colors this fall. The yellows, reds and oranges are so vibrant we wouldn’t believe them if we didn’t live here. Lucky for us, we do.

Recently, the leaves were particularly spectacular on Red Mountain Pass. The yellows of the aspens and the greens of the pines weaved together in a web of color. To complete the picture, clouds obscured the sun and partially shrouded the mountains on the day I viewed them.

It seems to me that clouds always make our Durango home more vivid. Mother Nature has been crazed this year, drying us out, then watering us down. Had she been any tamer, we might not have been able to see the leaves in all of this autumn’s splendor. When I least expect it, nature never fails to deliver another wild card.

Larkyn Joan Sarver

Durango