Mysterious Beauty

I found this little beauty along the path around Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.   The uneven change in fall color caught my eye. Standing about 10-12" tall, I have no idea what it is.   If you can identify this plant, please let me know.  Thanks. Thought for the Day: …

Wild Basin – RMNP

The southeastern part of Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado is called Wild Basin. I had never been to this area until my brother took me there a few weeks ago.  Less than half a mile from the Wild Basin trail head is the Lower Copeland Falls. I thought this was a beautiful scene when …

Bull Elk

I found this beautiful bull elk tending his harem near Estes Park.  It was early morning, about an hour after sunrise.  The temperature was low 40's, cold enough to see his breath when he bugled. His harem of approximately two dozen were grazing in the tall grass, aware of my presence but not bothered by it. …

Cliff Palace

Cliff Palace is the largest cliff dwelling in North America.  The floor is 100' below the cliff's rim above.  The circular tower on the right is over four stories tall.  To get a better sense of the scale, there are two men standing on the rim on the far upper left, and there is a …

Fly Fishing

I've never tried fly fishing, looks like too much work.  I'm not much of a fisherman anyway; I fish with an empty hook and a six-pack. Since everything in Rocky Mountain National Park is "catch and release" anyway, you might as well try the most difficult form of fishing; i.e. without bait.  As I understand …

Mountain Climbers

Why do men climb mountains?  "Because they're there," is what I've always heard.  As stupid as it sounds, that's exactly why a party of six mentally stable males decided to climb the mountain in the picture above.  I was joined by my two sons and three grand-sons (ages 5 to 67) to see what the view was like at …

Thoughtful Rocks

I just returned from a trip to Estes Park, Colorado.  Rocky Mountain National Park is one of my favorite places in the world, and I'm happy to report that the National Park Service have put some of their rocks to good use. Thought for the Day:   For animals, the entire universe has been neatly divided …

Waves of Grain

Mid-morning, with sunshine filtering through the scattered clouds, this shot was taken near Grant, NE.  I was on a county road about ten miles north of Grant, working my way to the "elbow" of the Nebraska panhandle; i.e. the NE corner of Colorado.  The aging hulk of this combine, with its elephantine head and trunk, …

Too Much Water

One extreme to the next.  Either there is too much water, like the Colorado rains of Biblical proportions, or never enough water, like in Death Valley, California. It's been raining along the eastern slope of the Rockies, from Boulder to Colorado Springs, for the last 7-10 days.  Heavy rains, like gully washers on steroids.  Half …

Mom

Moms are special.  Not because they are fantastic cooks, not because they bake your favorite pie on your birthday, not because they know how to darn socks, not because they have ESP, and not because they were the ace pitcher on the town fast-pitch softball team.  Moms are special because of their unconditional love; they …

Wasatch Mountains

The Aspens are turning.  As many times as I've been to Colorado, I've never been there in the fall to catch the golden glow of the Aspens turning color.  Since this picture was taken near Park City, Utah, I can say I've still never seen the fall colors of Colorado. Wow, they make a stark …

Out to Pasture

I love old barns.  Regardless of how neglected or useless they look, they seem to have a quiet dignity about them, an aura of mystery and wisdom.  The saying, "If these walls could talk" always come to mind when I see an old barn like this. How many calves or colts were born in this …

Cliff Palace

Mesa Verde National Park, near Cortez, Colorado, was the last stop on my 10-day photo safari.   Cliff dwellings of ancient Puebloans that inhabited the area between 700 and 1200 AD, were difficult at times to reach, but very interesting and well worth the effort.  This shot of Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in …

Desert Kites

The first stop on my photo safari was the Great Sand Dunes NP near Alamosa, CO.  Its a very interesting place, giant sand dunes in the middle of nowhere nestled up against the Rocky Mountains. I was pleased to see people walking/hiking/playing on the dunes to provide some scale to the photos.  I especially liked …