Autumn in Colorado – 2019

A few weeks ago, I took a break from the relentless Texas heat and headed to the mountains for a week of cooler temperatures and colorful landscapes. While fall colors are on the way here in Texas, the oranges and golds of Autumn leaves have already come and gone in Colorado. I’ll dive into the highlights of my trip to the Rockies just down this blog, but first, I invite you to peruse my Colorado Fall Colors gallery.

Before I start reminiscing, I’d like to share some good news. First, one of my Autumn images from Garner State Park was chosen as the cover for the October edition of Texas Highways Magazine.

Texas Highways Cover from October edition showing fall colors at Garner State Park.
Thank you to the folks there for continuing to use my work in their publication.

Next, Fox Sports contacted me to use nine of my Houston skyline images during their broadcast of the ALCS and the World Series.

Screen shot of one of nine Houston skyline images used on Fox Sports n during 2019 World Series.

Now, let’s get to Colorado. I started from my home away from home, Winter Park. From there I traveled through Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park, then through Grand Lake and west to Carbondale. I then headed further west to the Grand Mesa, then south to the Dallas Divide and Silver Jack areas south of Cimarron. I completed the loop by returning to Winter Park before spending the day with my summer hiking buddy in Denver. All in all, I covered over 1700 miles in 7 glorious days and took over 1700 images (all RAW files).

I haven’t shot fall colors in Colorado in several years, but I do remember in years’ past when exploring in September and October being struck by the richness and depth of color – from the golden aspen to red-orange of scrub oak to the yellow leaves of cottonwood along creeks and rivers. Colorado is beautiful when the Autumn season passes through like a cool breeze.

From this adventure, I’d like to offer a few of my favorite images and locations from the trip.

Rocky Mountain National Park

I only focused on the northeast and most visited side of RMNP. I knew where I wanted to shoot based on previous trips – on a slope facing southeast overlooking Bear Lake with Longs Peak in the distance. From high up on a boulder field, this scene peeked out between colorful aspen leaves.

Longs Peak and Bear Lake at sunrise through Autumn aspen trees.

A little later in the morning, this image came from a trail not far from Bear Lake:

A trail through golden aspen in Rocky Mountain National Park.

Maroon Bells Wilderness Area

One of my favorite places in all of Colorado is the Maroon Bells and Maroon Lake. The problem is that this area is a favorite of many people – both locals and tourists. In the fall when the leaves are changing, the parking lot often fills up by 5:00am with photographers waiting for the perfect shot. In addition, the rangers that protect this sensitive area have installed a small fence around the lake, thus preventing any really good angles where a reflection of the mountains can be seen in the clear water. Instead of the iconic photograph that many are familiar with, I chose to explore more areas (and visit some of my favorite spots to take in this scene. Here are two images – one of the colorful aspen and leaves; the other is a panorama of West Maroon Creek with Maroon Peak and North Maroon Peak, both 14,000’ summits, in the distance.

The Maroon Bells on a fall evening.

Aspen trees in the Maroon Bells Wilderness in fall.

Mount Sopris
Southeast of Carbondale is a lone peak that rises to nearly 13,000’ – Mount Sopris. Numerous backroads can be found around this summit, and after some exploration, I found a spot where I could capture the remarkable fall colors in the foreground at sunrise. To photograph this area required an early wake-up call, and soon I was bumping along a dirt road to the previously located location – a park and hike up a hill to shoot across a beautiful valley. The temperature was around 28, and my fingers felt frozen as I watched low clouds move across the landscape. I was a bit concerned at the conditions (the forecast called for clear skies), but fortunately, the clouds began to break up.

Autumn morning near Mount Sopris.
This panorama was taken during the breaking-up part before the skies went clear. And it all happened in about 10 minutes. Mountain weather changes quickly, for sure.

Dallas Divide
Home base was Montrose, just north of Ridgway, for this part of the trek. I met up with a good friend, Mike, from San Antonio. He’d been able to scout out a few areas before my arrival so we made good use of his recon and immediately headed to County Road 7. Over the course of a sunset this night as well as a sunset the next night, we covered the dirt roads County Roads 5, 7, and 9, and came away with some nice photographs of the Dallas Divide, a range of mountains that include Mount Sneffels, and Mt. Wilson. The red scrub oak and golden leaves of aspen trees filled the mountainsides and valley with amazing color, making for nice views in all directions.

The Dallas Divide from County Road 9 on a fall evening.

Silver Jack Reservoir
The unincorporated town of Cimarron, Colorado is about 30 minutes from Ridgway. From here, CR 858 turns south and winds back into the San Juan Mountains. One of the most well known areas is Silver Jack Reservoir. With its backdrop of rugged mountains and slopes of aspen, this location made a great place for our sunrise stop. The clouds were constantly changing. In the course of 30 minutes, we experienced snow, wind, sunshine, and a little rain, as well. The dynamic conditions gave us a lot to work with. Here is one panorama from that morning overlooking the reservoir with Turrett Peak in the distance.

Autumn morning at Silver Jack Reservoir in the San Juan Mountains.

From here, we traveled further down 858 to Owl Creek Pass, stopping in several locations to take in the colorful aspen groves and expansive, colorful vistas.
Aspen trees show off their color in the cool morning light.

These were some of my favorite locations, and while I stopped a few times on the way home to shoot a few areas (McClure Pass and Lake Creek on the east side of Independence Pass), my time on this journey was drawing to an end.
Looking back, and even in the midst of the trek, I am grateful for the beauty I saw as well as time spent with good friends. It was a week I won’t soon forget. But I’ll be back to explore even more areas the next Autumn. In the meantime, safe travels, everyone! I hope you enjoyed some of these moments from the Rocky Mountains.

~ Rob
Images from Texas
Images from Colorado

Texas – Home Sweet Home

As I write this blog, My wife, two girls, and I just crossed the Texas-New Mexico border and passed the Happy State Bank in Texline. I just finished up six weeks in Colorado, but I’ll get to that in a moment. For these long drives we usually leave early. This morning was no exception as we departed a little before 3am for the 15 hour trip. And I’m tired but can’t sleep. So I’ll ramble a bit…

First, some good news… I found out yesterday I will have two images in the Texas Highways Magazine 2017 Wildflower Calendar, and one of those will also serve as the cover photo! But as of now I don’t know which image that will be. Still, that is a nice bit of news. Texas Highways also pays well ? . A few weeks before that, I received word my Perseid meteor shower image won 1st place in the Texas Hill Country Alliance annual photography contest.

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Perseids over the Texas Hill Country : Prints Available

Starting at about 2:00am, I let the camera roll, taking 3 hours of time-lapse images of the Perseid meteor shower over Pedernales Falls in the Texas Hill Country. This final photograph is a compilation of the brightest meteors from this amazing scene. The sky photographs were taken using an astro-tracker, then stacked together using photoshop. The foreground was taken just as first light was beginning to show across the landscape – again a long exposure – and blended into the final scene.

This is nice, too, though I’ve been spoiled, having won the grand prize two of the past four years. And last, this past May I had my first book published by Far Country Press – a collection of images around Austin, Texas. I shared the photography work with another photographer, Jon Rogers – a real artist and super guy.

And now as we plow towards Dalhart (my wife is driving) I have time to reflect on the last month-and-a-half. I had high expectations – both for photography and for personal accomplishments. For at least the past ten years, my best guy friend and I have summited at least one 14,000 foot peak. Overall, we’ve climbed 31 of Colorado’s 54 14ers – all but one together. My home away from home is in Winter Park at about 9,000 feet in elevation. That first week while acclimating to my summer surroundings (my home in the Texas Hill Country rests at around 600 feet in elevation), I usually include one longer hike up to ~ 12 or 13,000 feet. On the first longer hike, I turned an ankle on the way down from an easy trek up to Herman Lake near Georgetown. It was an unremarkable hike and the slip didn’t appear to do noticeable damage. About five days later while trail running back in Winter Park, I did the same thing while cruising downhill and really buggered up my ankle. Something popped and my foot was purple a few days later. Fortunately, I had just started the five mile run! And I hopped back a half mile on my left foot.

I should add here I’m not patient when it comes to being sick or injured. I was forced to cancel a trip to the Elk Mountain Range to scale two 14ers. Several days of icing and elevating the ankle passed, and I was frustrated and ancy to get back out. Much to my wife’s chagrin, I wrapped my ankle, loaded up on painkillers, and met my friend to climb a nearby 13er (Square Top Peak at 13,758 feet). The meds worked and we enjoyed a nice view at the summit complete with mountain goats. But the next day I couldn’t put any weight on it. Now, two weeks later, I’m able to hobble around, but it hurts to even push on the accelerator of our SUV. I’ll give it some more time. Hopefully it will improve.

In the midst of all that, I was able to photograph some of Colorado’s most beautiful landscapes in Rocky Mountain National Park, including wildflowers, elk, and even the Milky Way. To peruse some of my favorites, check out my Colorado Images gallery.

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Colorado Sunflower Sunset 2 : Prints Available

From 12,000 feet and high in the Rocky Mountains, these sunflowers, known as ‘Old Man of the Mountain,’ enjoy the cold air and a beautiful July sunset. These wildflowers of Colorado were taken in Rocky Mountain National Park as the last light of day peeked over the distant summits.

In the meantime, we make our way home and I’m contemplating what I can photograph over the next few months. After six weeks of not seeing any temps above 80, I’m not keen on returning to the heat. Can we just fast forward to autumn?

Dalhart is in the rear view mirror and an early lunch in Dumas awaits.

Safe travels, Texas! 🙂
~ Rob
www.ImagesfromTexas.com

Colorado Wildflowers and Landscapes – an Escape from the Texas Heat

While 98% of my photography business comes from Texas, I still like to experience other locations. I’ve been fortunate to spend summers in Colorado for the past 25 years – hiking 14ers, fly fishing remote streams, and hiking through fields of Colorado wildflowers. This past June and July were no exception. I’ll always take the opportunity to escape the dog days of a Texas summer and enjoy high temperatures in the 70s for a month or so. Granted, it is hard returning to Texas in August when my kids go back to school and the temps are consistently in the 100s. But I also know Texas is my home, and eventually October will bring cooler weather!

This summer, I spent some time in Rocky Mountain National Park. Up above tree line, I found golden sunflowers (commonly called Old Man of the Mountain) blowing in the breeze, as well as bull elk enjoying a nice sunset.

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Rocky Mountain Sunflower Sunset 3 : Prints Available

Golden sunflowers bloom on the high tundra and rocky slopes of Rocky Mountain National Park. These Colorado wildflowers are commonly known as “Old Man of the Mountain” and put on a show in the higher elevations during the mid summer months.

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Elk at Sunset in Rocky Mountain National Park 1 : Prints Available

Elk enjoy a lazy summer sunset in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. This photograph was taken in mid July at about 12,000 feet as the sun set in the west over the Rocky Mountains. The elk in the foreground sat there for 20 minutes, allowing me to photograph him from several angles. When I packed my camera and lenses, he stood up and strolled away.

This sunflower image was a composite of 7 different images stacked together to achieve the best depth and sharpness possible. In the elk image, this regal creature sat there for 20 minutes while I patiently waited for the sun to hit the horizon (this gives you a nice sunburst with certain lenses – in this case an 11-24L). After the sun dipped below the mountain, I changed to a telephoto lens and took a few more close-ups of the elk. When I finished and began packing up. he also stood up and sauntered away. I guess he knew the photo shoot was over!

I also found moose wandering the lower regions of RMNP, seen here in a small stream just off of Trail Ridge Road:

maroon bells images,moose images,aspen colorado images,rocky mountain images
A Moose in the Aspen at the Maroon Bells : Prints Available

I was photographing the aspen grove when I had a visitor look my way. To my surprise, this moose had walked up from Maroon Lake. I had seen him earlier in the morning, but hadn’t give him much thought since in several hours. I took a few quick shots then gave him free passage.

There are so many place to explore in Colorado – long hikes to remote meadows filled with wildflowers; high mountain lakes with islands in the middle of the water; beautiful summits above 14,000 feet. Each year it is a new adventure. Now though, it is time to seek out more unique locations in Texas. The road never ends!

Please feel free to peruse this gallery for my favorite Colorado Landscape and Wildflower Images. (Click on the highlighted text).

Happy Travels, my friends!

~ Rob