Some interesting scars on an aspen tree off of the Burning Bear trail. They appear to be bear claw marks probably from a bear climbing the tree. I find these scars so interesting and can hint to a story from the past. It is fun to imagine the bear climbing the tree and hypothesize why he was doing it.
Rocky Mountain Cove in Rainbow Lakes
Teig at the shoreline of one of Rainbow Lakes near Nederland Colorado. I think he was wondering what I was taking a photo of? I did like the reflections in the water and his awesome mug in the photo.
Red Rock Formations in the Nevada Desert
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.
Joshua Trees on Mojave Desert Floor
Cool Joshua Trees covering Joshua Tree National Natural Landmark. Yucca brevifolia is a plant species belonging to the genus Yucca. It is tree-like in habit, which is reflected in its common names: Joshua tree, yucca palm, tree yucca, and palm tree yucca. The name "Joshua tree" is commonly said to have been given by a group of Mormon settlers crossing the Mojave Desert in the mid-19th century: The tree's role in guiding them through the desert combined with its unique shape reminded them of a biblical story in which Joshua keeps his hands reached out for an extended period of time to guide the Israelites in their conquest of Canaan.
Joshua Tree and Tabeau Peak
A beautiful Joshua Tree with Tabeau Peak in the background at Joshua Tree National Natural Landmark in south western Utah.
Barbed Wire Fence on Tabeau Peak
Traildog and Blooming Summer Succulents
Teig and I were hiking on South Table Mountain when all the early summer flowers were in bloom. I got this shot of him behind some gorgeous Yucca blooms which are amazing on the mountain outside of Golden Colorado.
James Peak and the Alpine Lake
Teig checking out the snow and James Peak Lake from a ridge in Colorado's James Peak Wilderness. We hiked Kingston Peak on this day and enjoyed the early summer conditions with the snow covering much of the alpine terrain.
Colorado Rocky Mountain Goat on Mount Democrat
On our way to the summit of Mount Democrat (14,155 ft), we met this guy hanging out in the rocks checking out the hikers. It is always fun to run into these goats above treeline on the way to the summit of a fourteener. Quick Fact: they are not a native species to Colorado and are descendants of transplants from the Rockies north of Colorado for game hunters in the 1940's.
Saint Thomas the Apostle Church
This church, built in 1935, replacing an older one that burned in 1860. The church anchors the main plaza of Abiquiu, New Mexico. Abiquiú means "wild choke cherry place" in the Tewa language. The community is also called Santo Tomas de Abiquiú and the Pueblo of Santo Tomas de Abiquiú.
Raptor on Take-Off
This Osprey was heading out from his perch into the Gulf of Mexico do do some fishing. He had spent some time watching me from his nest on Rabbit Key in Everglades National Park. These raptors are beautiful to watch and have a unique voice that you identify rather easily. The talons have an outer toe that is reversible, allowing them to grasp their prey with two toes in front and two behind. This is particularly helpful when they grab slippery fish.
Hawk Silhouette at Carolyn Holmberg Preserve
I find zen with a winter evening’s stroll around Carolyn Holmberg Nature Preserve in Broomfield Colorado. There are many species of birds and mammals that occupy this open space during the winter months. Keeping your eyes open and searching the trees you will most certainly find hawks and maybe an eagle perched in the branches. On this evening there was this hawk resting high in the cottonwood tree silhouetted against the beautiful colors in the sky from the setting sun. How lucky we are to witness the wonder and beauty of nature in Colorado.
Mutual Respect
When traversing the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, we inevitably will cross the path of some open range cattle. Teig does get a bit excited when he sees cows who notice him. On this day we were above Buena Vista and there were quite a few of them on the ridges feeding. This cow and her calf watched as we approached. Teig barked once then just stared at her and her calf. They pondered each other for a couple of minutes and then Teig continued on… I guess there was mutual respect and no further contact was required.
La Junta Milling & Elevator
We came across this mill and elevator in the small southeast Colorado town of La Juanta. No one was was working on this day and the building was interesting. The structure was on the main thoroughfare and stood above all the other buildings.. We really love to explore these small western towns.
Aspen Stands Before Spring Awakening
Early spring in the Colorado Rockies show the “bare bones” of the aspens before they begin to leaf. Lost Park near the Lost Creek Wilderness is a great place to check out the multitude of aspen stands before the bloom.
Log in Rocky Mountain's Grass
Interesting textures are found all through nature. A log next to a lake in some tall grass 11,000 feet up in the Colorado Rocky Mountains can entertain the naturalist while he eats his fruit and nuts on a long summer’s hike.
Exposed Roots of the Spruce
A beautiful patchwork system of roots exposed after a huge spruce fell in the Never Summer Mountains of Colorado.
Doorway to History in Alamo Canyon
This is the abandoned historic house in Alamo Canyon set in the Ajo Range in southern Arizona. There is a great trail to this location and is one of the gems in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. I really love sauntering in this region during the mid winter months.
Lone Pronghorn in the Utah Sage
Exploring the backcountry of Northwest Utah you find a plethora of wildlife. Pronghorn Antelope are common in the area and I came across this guy alone in a remote valley near village of Lucin. I loved the vision of the sage, grass and him just standing there checking me out. I would say we had mutual interest in each other.
Bald Eagle Perched Above River
This Eagle was high above the Arkansas River in Central Colorado searching for his breakfast.