Colorado landscapes
Time for some more images from the air! Last September we were lucky enough to fly down to Clovis, New Mexico to celebrate Scott's nephew's baptism and first birthday. It was the first long flight I had taken with him, and it was such a special thing to be able to fly ourselves on a mini vacation like that.
Next up: images from an extremely brief visit to Medicine Bow National Forest, and west of there, near Saratoga, Wyoming.
Hopefully you all aren't sick of seeing images from this magical place. And if you are, take heart, because this will be the last round, since we haven't been back for quite a while at this point.
Last September we headed back out to our favorite getaway, and as usual spent the time fly fishing (for Scott) and just enjoying the beauty of the area (for me). We had much better conditions for our September trip than we did for our July trip, with plenty of sunshine and near perfect temperatures. Plus, the plants had started to turn to that late summer/early fall gold that makes the landscape look richly magnificent.
Up Next: Images from our longest flight yet, down to Clovis, New Mexico.
Last summer Scott successfully worked towards earning his private pilot's license, which meant that we spent a decent amount of time in the air as he built up flight hours. I have to say, it's quite the nice perk to have a boyfriend who can whisk you into the sky! This particular flight was on the Fourth of July, and we were treated to an incredible sunset on the flight back to Centennial Airport.
Up next: a brief post with some images of alpine wildflowers and mountain views!
The final day of our camping trip to Guanella Pass was spent hiking up Mount Bierstadt. It was my second fourteener in two months (which I thought could be the start of a trend, but unfortunately was not), and I was excited to check this peak off my list.
The day started off with an absolutely stunning sunrise, with colors and light that were unreal. We were still in the parking lot at that point, gearing up for the hike, so I grabbed some quick shots before we got started.
The hike itself was a lot different than the other few fourteeners I have hiked/attempted. It begins in an alpine marsh, with tangled willows all around. The light continued to be amazing as the sun rose higher, and the frost melting off the grass caught the light in the most perfect way.
We even walked through a small flock of ptarmagin, which I had never seen before. They were already in full winter mode, with their white coats and feathery legs. Their ability to blend into the alpine landscape is amazing, and they just stood and quietly watched us as we (well, mainly just me; Scott was doing fine) struggled on up.
We reached the summit under great conditions, albeit a little on the cold side. The clouds were amazing, and as is always the case on top of 14,000 foot peaks, the view was spectacular. Unfortunately I was feeling pretty rough at that point, and didn't quite appreciate everything as I wish I would have. In fact, because I was feeling so miserable, I only took a few photos while we were up there. We spent some time at the summit to enjoy the view, and then started the long hike down.
And, last but not least, a photo of me and Scott at the summit! I don't usually post these types of photos here, but I figure getting to the summit of fourteener number two warrants sharing a photograph of us at the top. Mount Bierstadt was a struggle for me, but this guy is so incredibly encouraging and patient, and stuck with me through the end. I am so glad I pushed through it and made it to the top, and cannot wait to check some more off the list this spring/summer!
Next up: something completely different. Last October I traveled to a town on the border of Kansas and Colorado to join a friend in exploring her family's old, and now abandoned, home. We were attacked by birds (sort of), witnessed lots of dead critters, and also documented a really unique and beautiful place. Be sure to check back to see what I'm talking about!
And, don't forget, feel free to share via the links below, and leave a comment to say hello! Thanks everyone!
Hello again! Time for part two of our camping trip to Guanella Pass last fall! I'm going to sum everything up and leave you with the images, so you can scroll without distractions.
Our second day in the alpine was a nice, lazy day; we slept in (as much as you can while camping), made breakfast, and just enjoyed the beautiful day and campsite. The sun was was stunning, and everything was glowing that morning. Scott went back to fishing, and continued to catch little brook trout on the fly. A dragonfly even posed for pictures for quite a while, and I was able to inch closer and closer to get images of his amazing wings. It was quite the perfect morning. After a relaxing morning, we ran to town for lunch and supplies, and then came back to a partially rainy evening, which was spent boiling water for our hike the next day while enjoying a bonfire. Dinner was made while bundled up in our tent, which is one of my favorite things when camping in the cold.
Next time: Images from our hike up Mt. Bierstadt, my second fourteener. Be sure to check back to see crazy sunrise light, amazing mountain views, and fluffy, white ptarmigans in winter mode. As always, thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share via the links below, and be sure to say hi!
Last October, Scott and I packed up the car and headed up to one our favorite camping areas (Guanella Pass) for a weekend of mountain air and hiking. We set up camp quickly and he put together his fly rod as soon as we finished. Our camp was right next to a set of ponds, and since we could see the tiny fish jumping away as we set up, he was anxious to throw his line in the water.
Scott managed to hook a little Brook Trout (what I'm guessing/have been told it is) within a few casts. He was extremely excited, dare I say giddy even, as it was the first fish he'd hooked on the fly in Colorado. He spent the rest of the evening fishing, pulling in quite a few of the tiny fish. As usual, I was content snapping away the entire time.
When the sun went down, we bundled up in our tent (it was quite the cool night) and read for a bit, before going full mummy mode in the sleeping bags and going to bed. I was about to settle in myself on that night, but noticed how perfect the light from Scott's headlamp was lighting the scene, and had to get a few images before calling it a night.
Next up: day two of this trip which involved more fishing, and more time in the tent. I promise, the images are more exciting than that sounds (or at least I think they are). As always, thanks for stopping by! Feel free to share via the links below, and say hello as well!
Well, I fell behind again. But, in my defense, I was off on an "adult spring break" (i.e., a long weekend), and wanted to give myself a slight break from technology. I am back at it now though, and will be wrapping up the Lime Creek Canyon trip with this post (finally). I'm going to keep this one short and simple in terms of writing, and leave you with the images. Just one quick note before I dive in; there are some large panoramic images below, so I would highly recommend clicking on those (which opens them in a lightbox) in order to see all their glorious details as large as possible. I hope you enjoy!
Up next: More camping adventures, this time from Guanella Pass. Thanks for stopping by!
Happy day after Thanksgiving everyone! I was able to spend yesterday with most of my family, enjoying some precious time with two of my nephews, and eating lots of food of course. I hope everyone had a day filled with loved ones and delicious food.
It is time for another round of images that have been sitting on my hard drive for close to two months! I've been telling myself lately that because I am awful at posting here on a regular basis, it makes the posts more treasured and worth viewing. Hopefully there is at least some truth to that.
Back at the end of August, Scott and I went fly fishing for the first time in Colorado. Scott of course did all the fishing, as I was perfectly content wandering around photographing the stunning setting. I actually had to admit to a new friend (who is an avid fly fisher, and I met at a fly tying event) that I have never fished on a fly rod before. I always get sidetracked and distracted by the opportunities to photograph, and haven't even taken the time to learn somehow.
On this particular occasion, we ventured to Walker Ranch, to fish in the South Boulder Creek. Scott had read the fishing reports, and it looked extremely promising. I was excited, since we were going to a new location, and it ended up being amazingly beautiful.
Unfortunately the fishing report ended up being quite wrong for us that day. We didn't so much as see a single fish. Scott progressed downstream, hoping to get some bites, with no luck. I, of course, was still more than content, but he ended up fairly frustrated towards the end of the afternoon.
Next up on the blog: images from my current favorite location in Colorado. Expect to see some mind blowing light, quirky portraits, and movie like landscapes.
Time to go back to my first weekend living in Colorado again! And to give you fair warning, there are images of an adorable, sleepy puppy towards the end of this post, so prepare yourselves.
As mentioned in the last post, my best friend, Blair, and I spent the weekend camping in Twin Lakes, CO, with the goal of hiking Mount Elbert. Mount Elbert is the tallest peak in Colorado, standing at 14,439', so it was an exciting goal for my first weekend as a Colorado resident. We drove to the trailhead as the sun was just coming up that morning, and started hiking in the brisk morning air.
It was a long, rather deceptive hike, with false summit after false summit (or so it felt). But, we kept hiking away, slowly but surely, taking in the incredible scenery and views as we went.
The summit was absolutely stunning, and made the long hike up worth it. Unfortunately, we still had to get down (the worst part, in my opinion). Blair and I were both exhausted, partially from Stella's (the puppy) seemingly never ending energy. Yet, as we worked our way down, even she started to look completely worn out (somehow not until around tree line though). When we stopped to take breaks towards the end of the hike, Stella would promptly lay down and nearly fall asleep.
We eventually made it all the way down, drove to a gas station for firewood and other provisions, and then made the short drive back to our campsite. The clouds and light over Twin Lakes on the way to our site were beyond spectacular. So, despite our complete exhaustion, we stopped so that I could grab a few images before heading back to collapse and eat dinner.
The following morning we, unfortunately, had to pack up and head back to the real world. We enjoyed a somewhat lazy breakfast, packed stuff up, and drove out. The water on the lakes that morning was like glass, creating a perfect reflection of the surrounding area. I snagged a few shots out of the window as we drove past, sad to be leaving that amazing place so soon.
Hello again, everyone! I'm still completely buried under photographs, but slowly and surely I am getting through them, and will hopefully be caught up some day soon.
Not long before I moved out to Denver myself (well over a month ago at this point), I came out for an interview, as well as to visit Scott. That weekend, we spontaneously decided to drive to Rocky Mountain National Park in order to hike up part of Longs Peak. We had no intention of getting to the summit that day, as we had a pretty lazy and slow start to the day, and instead just wanted to get up to see The Diamond.
It ended up being a perfect day for a hike; just warm enough, light winds, and without the typical afternoon storm. It was cloudy when we first started our hike, but when we were within view of The Diamond the clouds broke, creating some incredible light for us.
Next up: a break from images of mountains, with a flashback to my time as a nanny. Expect lots more mountain posts after that, though!
Have a happy Monday!
