A nice day for a hike in the Vasquez Peak Wilderness. This section of the continental Divide Trail near Berthoud Pass is fantastic in July with snowfields still present and wildflowers blooming. Definitely worth the trip.
Alpine Trail to Stanley Mountain
A beautiful summer day above 11,000 feet in the Rocky Mountains outside of Winter Park. Sauntering through the alpine landscape is one of our favorite ways to decompress from a crazy work week. Teig is definitely the scout on the trail leading most of the way.
Red Indian Paintbrush in Colorado Meadow
Beautiful red paintbrush in an alpine meadow near Silver Dollar Lake in the Colorado Rockies.
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.
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.
The Castle at Capitol Reef
One of the wonderful National Parks found in the West. A majestic view of Capitol Reef from Panorama Point.
“Memories of the Bread Basket
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.
Peaceful Contemplation at Cottonwood Pass
Teig resting in an alpine meadow on a saunter along the ridges above Cottonwood Pass in central Colorado. We like to take periodic breaks from hiking and just absorb the beauty of the high Rocky Mountains. It helps us keep centered and sane in our hectic crazy lives.
Slot Canyon Falls on Willis Creek
A beautiful waterfall in Willis Creek Narrows. This location is a beauty within the Grand Staircase - Escalante National Monument of Utah.
Boreas Section House with Stars
The section house is located at the summit of Boreas Pass and in the late 1800s and early 1900s served as the main building for the Denver, South Pacific, and Pacific Railroad when it made its way over the pass. This area was the site of the highest narrow guage railroad in the United States. During the period between 1870 and 1920, a town of 150 people existed at Boreas Pass helping to maintain the railroad and the trains that passed by. The pass was formerly known as Breckenridge Pass in the 1860s.
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.
Resting Off Trail in the Dappled Light
Teig resting on our way down from Whitney Lake in Colorado's Holy Cross Wilderness. We were next to the creek taking a rest from our saunter to the lake and back. These moments are some of my favorites because we feel a bit tired and are content with just experiencing nature.
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.
Light on the Green Mountains behind Vail
We were exploring Piney River Road north of Vail and it was getting near sunset. The light broke through the heavy clouds and cast beautiful light on the mountains in the distance. These special scenes make it all worth exploring the backcountry of Colorado.
Momma Porcupine in a Tree
For the second time in as many weeks we ran into a porcupine on a trail north of Vail, Colorado. She was huge and a mamma walking toward Teig and I. She couldn't recognize us until she was about 25 feet away. Luckily, Teig was on leash at the moment and their was no altercation. I let her move to a nearby tree and climb up about eight feet before getting this photograph of her where she felt safe. She was gorgeous.
Peaceful Night Drive in the Nevada Desert
We had a nice night of exploring the desert a couple of hours west of Las Vegas. The desert at night is so calm and serene with the critters coming out of hiding to do their business because of the difficult conditions of the hot daytime hours. The glow of Las Vegas can still be seen this far away at night.
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.