As early 1800s explorers pushed across the Midwestern plains, a western mirage appeared along the horizon, an ever-present line of blue clouds. After a week of travel it became evident that the clouds never moved. It was soon to be discovered that these clouds were the majestic Rocky Mountains, their greatest obstacle.
     The Colorado Rockies are divided into five major groups. It was the Front Range that Zebulon Pike first witnessed, followed by the Continental Divide ranges and the Sawatch. To the south lie the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains.
     This enchanting winter scene was found along Swan Mountain Road, when an early snowfall covered the Tenmile Range. Peak One, rising up in the background, is part of the Tenmile Range. Tenmile, nearby the town of Dillon, is an extension of the Mosquito Range, and part of a chain of ranges that makes up the Continental Divide. Peak One through Peak Ten, plain-Jane names for a close-knit cluster of Tenmile Mountains, top out at 14,265 feet. Perhaps the unimaginative Colorado miners were focused more on precious metals, rather than dreaming up interesting mountain names.