A beautiful Colorado sunrise in the middle of the Pawnee National Grasslands. We spent the night camping and photographing the stars the night before and still had time to photograph the sunrise and get back to Denver for other work.
LODO Restaurant Winner
Restaurant banners of the city’s 5280 magazine winner were hung on the side of the building in Lower Downtown Denver Colorado. This composition caught my eye and love the texture and lines. You can find interest in many simple places, if you keep your eyes open.
Dancing on Rosalie Peak
Even photographers and their dogs have fun!
LODO Restaurant Winner
Restaurant banners of the city’s 5280 magazine winner were hung on the side of the building in Lower Downtown Denver Colorado. This composition caught my eye and love the texture and lines. You can find interest in many simple places, if you keep your eyes open.
LODO Restaurant Winne
Brothers in the Woods
Bernese Mountain Dog puppies in the forest playing. Rocky and Rambo are brothers who love to have fun in the mountain woods of Colorado. Chasing each other and squirrels are their favorite pastimes.
Brothers in the Woods
Alpine Avens, Aspen Daisies and Traildog
Adventuring the Rockies of central Colorado, Teig and I came across a beautiful alpine meadow and we had to stop and ponder the far off Mount Guyot and the valley below. This is our favorite place to be in the summer. Up above the trees you can see the peaks stretching off in the distance and the air is crisp and clean. The beauty fills the soul and the freedom to explore is fantastic.
Alpine Avens, Aspen Daisies and Traildog
Alpine Daisies on Glacier Peak
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.
Alpine Daisies on Glacier Peak
Moose at Maroon Lake
A moose was feeding at Maroon Lake below iconic Maroon Bells outside of Aspen Colorado on a crisp morning. He became a bit agitated and let me know that he did not want me any closer than 50 yards and I respectfully complied. No chance I was going to get into a tussle with this big boy!
Moose at Maroon Lake
Labradoodle in Sea of Yellow Alpine Flowers
Teig found a meadow of yellow Aspen Sunflower Flowers just off the trail to French Pass in the Colorado Rockies. Aspen Sunflower is a member of the Sunflower Family. The plant typically grows in meadows and clearings in pine forests at elevations between 5000 - 10000 feet. Teig blends in with this meadow and was almost ready to take snooze in the sunflowers.
Labradoodle in Sea of Yellow Alpine Flowers
Longhorns Grazing on Wyoming Grass
The couple of Texas Longhorn steers were grazing on grassland near Devils Tower National Monument in Northern Wyoming. It caught me by surprise to see them out on the prairie grassland mixing in with the American Bison.The Texas Longhorn was fashioned entirely by nature in North America. Stemming from ancestors that were the first cattle to set foot on American soil almost 500 years ago, they became the sound end product of "survival of the fittest". With the destruction of the buffalo following the Civil War, the Longhorns were rushed in to occupy the Great Plains, a vast empire of grass vacated by the buffalo. Cattlemen brought their breeding herds north to run on the rich grazing lands of western Nebraska, Wyoming, the Dakotas, and Montana. Thus, the Great Plains became stocked largely with these "bovine citizens" from the Southwest.
Longhorns Grazing on Wyoming Grass
Turkey on Badland's Trail
Hiking on the east side of Badlands National Park I crossed paths with this turkey. She was in no hurry and was not worried about me. So we hung out on the trail together for a bit. I really like turkeys and I am always stoked when I see them. They usually are very skittish but I guess in National Parks they are protected and more outgoing than just in the National Forest.
Turkey on Badland's Trail
Asserting Dominance
While exploring the area around Sage Creek in Badlands National Park we came across this large bull American Bison. He was a good 30+ yards from us but was showing typical signs of dominance and “I am the big boy on the block”. He was rolling in the grass and dusting up the area around him. He was grunting and dropping his head. I heeded his display and moved in the opposite direction. These guys are so interesting, massive and mesmerizing to see in the wild. I really enjoy just watching them do their thing. South Dakota has numerous wild herds and is a fantastic place to check them out. I am so very happy that we didn’t hunt them to extinction and have instead reintroduced them to the wild in our wildlife refuges and parks.
Asserting Dominance
Falls on Hunter Creek
A hike up Hunter Creek from Aspen Colorado affords the adventure with numerous small waterfalls to check out near the trail. This small waterfall wasn't far up the trail to the canyon and was quiet and serene in the early morning before the hikers get on the trail. I find these locations and times fulfilling for the soul.