From the Rocky Mountains of Colorado to the Tian Shan Mountains of Kyrgyzstan

Mountain Meadows hike near Vail, Colorado

The Colorado Rockies are at their most beautiful right now, with the aspen shimmering in colors of gold, orange and bright green.  We just had 2 wonderful hikes in the Gore Range by Vail, with perfect weather and gorgeous scenery.

Wheeler Lakes in the Gore Range north of Copper Mountain

Early Tuesday morning, we head to Kyrgyzstan and that country's magnificent Tian Shan Mountains, which cover 93% of the country, with peaks from 15,000 to 25,000 feet.  These mountains are perpetually (for the moment, at least) covered in snow and glaciers.  Trekking is a popular tourist attraction.  We will be doing some shorter hikes up the glacial valleys between the peaks and along the glacier-fed rivers that run through the beautiful valleys.

Tian Shan peaks in Ala Archa National Park near Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan

I'll be blogging about our trip through Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, the heart of the Silk Road, as I did during our planning visit last year.  I'll post photos and information about what to see and what we're learning in this fascinating part of the world.

Tian Shan Mountains looming over Karakol, Kyrgyzstan