Aspens surrounding Crystal Mill are just beginning to turn color as the snow-dusted summit of Precarious Peak reaches for low clouds in the distance. Crystal Mill is a wooden powerhouse located on an outcrop above the Crystal River. A four-wheel drive road from Marble, Colorado is the only way to reach the mill. Built in 1893, the mill used a water turbine to drive an air compressor, and was originally built with a horizontal wheel. The compressed air was then used to power other machinery or tools in nearby silver mines. It fell into disuse in 1917 when the Sheep Mountain Tunnel mine closed, and is now on the National Register of Historic Places. [summarized from Wikipedia]

[2 captures hand-blended for exposure compensation]