Trout Lake Region 9/5/2015

I should have been bow hunting for elk this weekend, but it usually is not good hunting on Labor Day weekend due to all the motorcycles, RV's, ATV's etc.  Some hunting on Saturday morning was very unfruitful, so, Joann and I decided to take a ride up to the Trout Lake area on Lizard Head Pass. And, who knows, we might run into a critter up there somewhere....it didn't happen.  We then drove on up to the Hope Lake trailhead - through very soggy, rainy conditions.  The trailhead was packed with vehicles.  We then headed down the Ilium Road and turned off on the Sunshine Mesa Road.  We'd never been up there and will definitely have to do that one again.


Trout Lake was the fullest I've ever seen it.  It was nearly spilling over the spillway.  That's great news at the end of the summer!

Those clouds hugging the mountain tops look like fall to me.

Of course I had to get a few shots of the old railroad trestle.  I wonder how much longer it will be there.

Up the Sunshine Mesa Road were several structures from by-gone eras.  Those are some heavy timbers they used.  This road is quite steep and rough in spots and has multiple mud holes.  We were shocked to find a hunter that had hauled a travel trailer up to the very end of the road.  I wouldn't want his truck or trailer after that trip.  My thought was, "guess who gets to back up when he meets another vehicle on this one vehicle wide road? - yep, the other vehicle."

Wilson Peak looms in the background across a meadow.  Interestingly, though I don't drink beer, Wilson Peak is supposedly the mountain on the Coors beer logo on bottles and cans.

More structures that have seen better days.

This was my favorite shot of the trip.  I don't know why, I just like it!

View on the more tame, easy part of the road.  We had another great day in God's creation and got to travel a new backroad that we'll definitely check out again.