A view of Lake Dorothy State Park on the border of Colorado and New Mexico near sunset with a storm brewing to the west.
Castlewood Canyon Winter Stairs
Stairs leading up to the rim from the bottom of Castlewood Canyon in Colorado. The steps were snow packed from hiker traffic and in the chilly afternoon shade.
Teig on Boulder in Castlewood Canyon
Teig had jumped up on one of the boulders in Castlewood Canyon and was staring eye to eye with me when I came hiking down Inner Canyon Trail. He still amazes me how athletic he still is for an old dog.
Yeoman Park Pond in the Colorado Rockies
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.
Autumn Color on East Brush Creek
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.
Waking the Dragon
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?
Outside Looking in the Valley of Fire State Park
An early morning view into the Valley of Fire State Park in southern Nevada. A cool time to get a panorama of the park from it's south-west corner.
Colorado Traildog and his Sidekick
Working our modeling poses above 13,000 feet. We are striking the "Rocky Mountain High" pose for this photo. It is tough to look this awesome after hiking to the summit of a Colorado Peak.
Winding Road in Valley of Fire
One of the main features in Valley of Fire is the road winding through the wonderful rock formations. This is the main road looking south into the heart of the park.
Resting in Shade of the Red Sandstone
Teig was enjoying the cool shade provided by the Aztec Sandstone while we were hiking in the Valley of Fire State Park.
White Sandstone at Valley of Fire
Beautiful white sandstone distinctly contrasts with the red aztec sandstone at Valley of Fire in southern Nevada. The rich colors and textures make for a tasty treat for my eyes.
Red Rock Formations in Valley of Fire
The beautiful red rock formations are surrounding us for as far as the eye can see.
White Leading to Red
Beautiful white rock formations leading to Aztec Sandstone in the Valley of Fire. These formations were exposed where older rocks of Cambrian age (about 500 million years old) were pushed sideways on a thrust fault over younger rocks (Jurassic, about 160 million years old) of the Aztec Sandstone. The sandstone was originally laid down in a colossal, long-lived sandy desert much like today's Sahara. Before the area was a dry desert, it was an inland sea. The red color is from the presence of iron oxides in the sand.
The Dinosaurs Back
The beautiful red and white sandstone mixture in Valley of Fire Park in Nevada is awesome to witness in the golden hour. So many rock formations that wow the visitors. A desert landscape photographer's dream.
Traildog on Aztec Sandstone
Teig on a Sandstone outcrop in the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada. This park is perfect for outdoor enthusiasts... even pups.
The Cabins in Valley of Fire
These are "The Cabins" in Nevada's Valley of Fire State Park. Three small rooms were built from the local sandstone in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), who did a lot of similar work in the parks and remote regions of the country during the Great Depression (“make work” projects, like trail and road construction). These cabins were used by travelers for camping stays in Valley of the Fire, but have been abandoned.
Valley of Fire Northern Vistas
The strong red sandstone formations in the Valley of Fire State Park in Southern Nevada. The Valley of Fire derives its name from red sandstone formations, believed to be the remains of a huge 150,000 square mile desert which existed in this region from about 192 to 178 million years ago.
Valley of Fire Rock Formations at Night
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.
Red Sandstone Hammer Formation
Teig and I came across this cool structure while hiking among the beautiful red rock formations in Valley of Fire State Park in Nevada. The deep colored red sandstone is so cool to explore in the park. This location is a must to explore when traveling through southern Nevada.
Rustic Cabin in Sylvan Valley
Sylvan means "a peaceful, wooded place" and this scene exemplifies that phrase. Teig and I spent a weekend exploring this area west of Vail Colorado and was pleasantly surprised at it's quaint beauty. Steep valleys and high peaks with aspen groves, lodgepole pine and Douglas fir forests on moist slopes with Ponderosa pines and junipers found on drier slopes.