Each year in the first week of October, along with thousands (maybe tens of thousands) of others, we perform our ritual of heading west in Colorado to witness the annual display of trees morphing from various verdant shades of green to startling, unexpected hues of yellow, amber, gold, and sometimes, mandarin. As if Colorado weren’t gorgeous enough already. It’s an odd spectacle, really, since these are the same trees that were standing here rather inconspicuously in summer, but now, they beg for our attention. And we give it to them. This year, we assembled the photographic arsenal and headed south to Cañon City, continued on through Salida and Gunnison, then banked north through Ohio Pass and Kebler Pass to McClure Pass — skirting the outer perimeter of Crested Butte — what I feel to be the epicenter of Colorado foliage. It certainly didn’t disappoint. —Nick Lucey