Autumn Color exploding on Jefferson Hill and in South Park Valley near Kenosha Pass in the Colorado Rockies. The snow capped peaks were getting some additional accumulation in the distance.
A view from the South Park Valley floor up to the Colorado Trail leading to Kenosha Pass during peak autumn color.
A beautiful view of a beaver pond on an early morning hike through Yeoman Park in the Colorado Rockies. The Reflections and autumn color caught my attention in the crisp still mountain air.
Beautiful color on East Brush Creek in Colorado's Sylvan State Park. The falls were flowing well and the location was super peaceful to sit and contemplate nature while listening to the waterfalls.
It is wonderful to explore the 4X4 backcountry roads in the Colorado Rockies on a beautiful crisp autumn morning in mid-September. Awesome gold and orange colored aspens can cross your path at any turn.
September in Colorado's Rocky Mountains is a vibrant display of autumn's colors. The sides of mountains can be a gorgeous palette of warm reds, bright golds and subdued greens against a deep blue sky. We are definitely blessed to witness this wonderful explosion of nature best colors.
Yes… let’s take a stroll on the old road into the autumn woods.
Beautiful setting sun light on the foothills near Chatfield State Park in southern Denver. A winter chill in the crisp air but the warm sun felt good before night falls on Colorado.
As the season changes in the Rocky Mountains the streams are littered with beautiful gold and orange leaves from the shedding aspens. I was sitting next to Three Mile Creek in the Mount Evans Wilderness meditating with my thoughts and absorbing the calm soft colors in this splendid little creek. I believe these moments are required to keep my sanity in this modern hectic life.
Blackbirds flying in mass at the Bosque Del Apache Refuge in central New Mexico. These birds fly in unison and it looks like a beautiful dance in the air. It is mesmerizing to watch especially when there are hundreds of them dancing.
Late afternoon at theBosque Del Apache refuge and a doe came out of the thickets to grab a drink and say hello. Her warm colors blended in with grass and leaves. It was a warm greeting.
One can find some interesting locations while exploring the American West. I was resting in front of this phenomenal rock formation outside of the Valley of Fire allowing my imagination to run free. I stared deeply at the formation and began creating the story... an enormous curled up dragon was waking up from his deep slumber. He was fuming smoke as he was coming back to life before stretching out his wings and heading out for his nightly adventures… I love creating stories and seeing what is not apparent in nature's beautiful forms. If you are a creative and won’t let your imagination loose to roam, how will you create something new and wonderful?
Mills Creek during the peak summer color in the Colorado Rockies outside of Idaho Springs. We hiked to Bill Moore Lake and did some exploring of the area and found that the mountain flowers were blooming next to the creek and this little waterfall. It was a perfect location for lunch and some tranquility.
Beautiful waterfalls on Treasure Creek in the San Juan Range of the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. We hiked on Summit Trail to these falls which were dappled in nice midday sunlight, perfect to sit beside and have lunch and listen to the sounds of the roaring stream.
Beautiful red rock formations on a winter's night in the Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada. Exploring the desert after dark is one of my favorite things and the beautiful rocks at the park make for great compositions at night under the stars. On this night I was up exploring until 4 am in the morning getting some of those fun shots of the landscape under the night sky.
One of the wonderful National Parks found in the West. A majestic view of Capitol Reef from Panorama Point.
On our evening saunter over the alpine ridges above Loveland Pass we encountered a young man who was enjoying the wonderful beauty of the high Colorado Rockies. He was sitting on a rock outcropping with the majestic vistas in all directions. He appeared to be in meditation but after chatting for a moment I found he was in awe and contemplation of the wonderful location he was experiencing. I feel the same way when out sauntering the summits. I took this photograph of him on the way back down to Loveland Pass just as the sun set on the 12,000+ foot summit behind him.
A large bull elk relaxing on a late September morning in the high Colorado Rocky Mountains.
Bryce Canyon is one the most spectacular views in America. Looking down into the orange and red banded canyon made me feel inspired with the beauty of nature. This young woman appears to have a similar reaction to viewing the canyon.
Mesquite Flat Sand Dunes are at the northern end of the valley floor and are nearly surrounded by mountains on all sides. The primary source of the dune sands is probably the Cottonwood Mountains which lie to the north and northwest. The tiny grains of quartz and feldspar that form the sinuous sculptures that make up this dune field began as much larger pieces of solid rock. In between many of the dunes are stands of creosote bush on the sand and on dried mud, which used to cover this part of the valley before the dunes intruded
Mule deer walking through the grass after a quick spring snowing event at Rocky Mountain Arsenal outside of Denver Colorado.
A 240 degree panorama of Berthoud Pass from June 2019. The photo is looking directly into the snow-covered peaks in the Vasquez Wilderness of Colorado's Rocky Mountains.
A beautiful sunset Cordova Pass near West Spanish Peak. This section of the San Isabel National Forest in Colorado is unique in that it sits on the border of New Mexico. You can see the vast plains to the east and other mountain ranges north, south and west. This sunset occurred between storms that covered the region for a few days. This increased the beauty of the sunset and was a wonder to witness.
The ancient volcanic peaks in the Cabezon region of New Mexico are astounding to witness first hand. Exploring this area is worthwhile with few visitors and fantastic views of the New Mexico deserts and mountains. Teig and I love to get “lost” in the desert southwest.
A group of whitetail deer were feeding on one of the promotories on North Table Mountain as we were exploring off-trail on a gorgeous January day. They heard us coming and this buck watched me taking photos before he took off down the side cliffs. It was awesome to see him so beautiful and strong in front of the skyline of downtown Denver, Colorado.
The United States Calvary color guard during Buffalo Bill Days Parade in Golden Colorado.
A very wooley American Bison grazing in Badlands National Park near Spring Creek. He was quite content eating with the birds and paid me no mind. Some other bulls were a little more put out by my presence.The American Bison is an icon of the Great Plains. At Badlands, bison roam the 64,000 acre wilderness area in the western side of the North Unit. Visitors to the park can view them, as I did,in the area containing Sage Creek Rim Road.
A lone cowboy riding in White Sands in Southern New Mexico.
Structures still remain on the great plains of eastern Colorado of the American farming families of the past. A lone decrepit structure in a field of golden grass whispers of a fertile productive time.
Islands of red rock formations can be found around the Valley of Fire. Teig and I love finding and exploring them in the evening when there are no tourists around. It also makes for fun landscape photography.
The cougar who chased and try to snack on my traildog Teig, laying down watching us from the forest in the Mount Evans Wilderness.
A beautiful waterfall up Spearfish Canyon in the Black Hills of South Dakota.
Devil’s Tower is a symbolic American western icon. It’s cut rock faces have lived in rock climbers dreams as well as native american folklore. This National Monument should be considered on any traveler’s list if they intend to explore the American Mountain West. It sits in Northwest Wyoming and a hiker could spend an entire day hiking around the base and nearby area. Catching the grazing bison in the early morning excited me and I really dig this photograph.
Hiking to the 12,000+ foot Summit of Glacier Peak I ran into a beautiful meadow of Rocky Mountain Wildflowers including Alpine Daisies near the top. I had to relax in the meadow and take some photographs. Glacier Peak is a moderate and gentle summit located near Georgia Pass in the southwestern region of Colorado’s Front Range. Stradling the Continental Divide, Glacier Peak surveys a lot of territory. It is archetypal of the summits in this region possessing a relaxed demeanor much like that of nearby Whale Peak. Glacier Peak is visible from US 285 near the small town of Jefferson; it rises as a “Squaretop” ridge on the northwestern mountainous boundary of South Park.
An early morning exploration of Capitol Reef National Park in Central Utah. Scenic drive road sits up against the WaterPocket Fold and is beautiful as the sun’s light begins to light the park. A lone car heading towards the village of Fruita sped by as I photographed the sandstone faces. It’s a wonderful time to be in the park with no crowds to displace the serenity of this majestic location.
Bluebells near the Continental Divide Trail in the high Colorado Rocky Mountains.
On a beautiful morning shooting at Maroon Bells outside of Aspen Colorado, I caught the moon setting in a notch of Rockies. I had hiked up to Crater Lake just as the moon was setting in the west Maroon Bells peak. Pretty good timing!
A couple who hiked to the summit of Mount Evans to watch the sun set on the Colorado Rocky Mountains. A serene scene that just refills the soul… nothing like sunsets on 14ers.
A “crazy” teen shooting down lookout mountain on a skateboard. He zoomed past me going 40+ miles an hour and had a truck blocking traffic ahead of him. This 7,377-foot peak is located in Lookout Mountain Park, 1.7 miles west-southwest of downtown Golden in Jefferson County, Colorado. Built in 1913, the Lariat Loop road ascends from Golden up the steep east side of Lookout Mountain. It is very steep and road cyclist love to go up to the top and race back down to Golden. Skateboarding down is just uber crazy!
An elderly couple traveling the Narrows on the North Fork of the Virgin River in Zion National Park. The Narrows is the narrowest section of Zion Canyon and one of the world's best slot canyon hikes. Here, the majestic walls of the main canyon close in to form a tall and narrow canyon with beautiful dark corners and the Virgin River flowing around you. With beautiful flowing water and barely any direct sunlight reaching the bottom, this is the slot canyon that all other slot canyons are compared to. This gorge, with walls a thousand feet tall and the river sometimes just twenty to thirty feet wide. It is a popular hike in the park and when I did it was just after a few rainstorms and there was significant flow and water in the stream. I could not see the stream bed because of the red muddy nature and stumbled into some deep pools. The walking sticks this couple had is a very good idea.
Teig rolling in the snow just below the summit of La Plata Peak near Aspen Colorado. You have to play a bit after hiking a 14er!
These awesome crags sit in front of Castle Rock outside of Buena Vista Colorado. You can see these formation as you venture down Highway 285 from South Park into the Arkansas Valley. I have always loved them and decided to get a cool aerial shot with sunset light on their western faces.
Listening to the waves roll on to the white beach and looking up through the mangroves to see the sunset happening on Tiger Key was a fabulous moment. Everglades National Park as numerous locations to get away from Florida’s crowds and just absorb nature's beauty. Ten Thousand Islands is a prime location to experience the setting sun dip below the Gulf of Mexico.