Our outing to Golden Gate came during the season when Everyone (plus their uncles from back East, plus their dogs) from the metropolitan Denver area finds an excuse to ride and hike through the hills and mountains to enjoy the aspens' changing colors. Of course, this is also the season when the black bears are out foraging throughout the Front Range and mountains for extra food to keep them happy in their lairs for the winter. We haven't seen any yet--just reports about interactions.