• Great Sand Dunes National Park,  landscape,  sunsets

    38 Degrees

    September 10, 2016
    Sunset at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument
    Sunset at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument

    I had a beautiful day for traveling yesterday, arriving at the Great Sand Dunes National Monument. The campgrounds at the Monument were full but the ranger at the gate told me to check with the camp host as there may be a possibility of a single tent available. He was correct as they opened up a group site and put only single tents in there.

    I did some wandering around the monument and walked a short distance out on the dunes and came back for dinner. Later on I headed to a parking lot just outside the campgrounds where I thought I could get a photo of the sunset on the dunes. That’s where I took the first image.

    Sand blowing across the dunes
    Sand blowing across the dunes as I walked to the envisioned sunset

    While walking to this parking lot for the first image, the wind started to pickup as you can see in the second image. And, it blew into the early morning. And, when you camp near the sand dunes you can expect a bit of sand when the wind blows. I broke camp about 6:30 am so I could get on the road early and everything in my tent was covered with a fine layer of sand this morning, including me. It was a cool morning. When I started my car at 7:00 am the temperature gauge said is was 38 degrees. I’m now in Alamosa at the Milagros Coffee House before my drive to Canyon de Chelly.

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  • Badlands National Park,  landscape

    Badlands

    March 21, 2016
    Badlands National Park
    Badlands National Park

    Badlands National Park consists of 244,000 acres of sharply eroded buttes, pinnacles and spires surrounded by a mixed-grass prairie ecosystem. The landscape of Badlands National Park is roughly half badlands geologic formations and half mixed-grass prairie ecosystem.  The mixed grass prairie is a transitional zone between the tall-grass prairie to the east and the short-grass prairie to the west. This land was formed by the geologic forces of deposition and erosion. Deposition of sediments began 69 million years ago when an ancient sea stretched across what is now the Great Plains.

     

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  • Glacier National Park,  lake,  landscape,  National Parks

    We Are Nature

    January 18, 2016

    This image was taken in 2004 just afater the massive fires in Glacieer National Park. The haze of smoke is evident in the mountains and you could smell it.
    This image was taken in 2004 just after the massive fires in Glacier National Park.

    Back in 2004 I made a road trip on my motorcycle to the west coast. During the 3 week trip I road 4200 miles. I drove down the northwest coast of Washington into Oregon, ate seafood in Seattle and tried to cover as many National Parks as I could fit into the schedule. I camped along the road except for 4 four nights, setting up camp primarily in National Parks.

    I only scheduled one afternoon and night in Glacier National Park which is not near enough time to really see the park. I setup camp in one of the campgrounds near Lake McDonald but for the life of me can’t remember which one. The previous year was one of the worst seasons of fire in Glacier National Park. A 136,00 acres were burned that year. One of the largest fires was the Roberts Fire, which burned 57,570 acres, that is near the lake. I could see the barren and naked landscape across the lake. There was a fire burning nearby, causing a haze to settle into the lower valleys of the park.

    It’s cold outside this evening so I’m going through my archives and found this image that caused me to remember  the trip. I wrote about this trip before and have a color image or the lake, if you care to check it out. I converted this image to black and white with Silver Efex Pro using one of the presets then making a few simple adjustments in Lightroom 4.

    A final thought : I have in the past wished we had more respect for nature but I think I would rather we understood that “we are nature.”

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  • architecture,  clouds,  Documentary/Street,  landscape,  mountains,  National Parks,  Rocky Mountain National Park

    Estes Park and RMNP

    August 18, 2014

    This is a small park area along the river.
    This is a small park area along the river.

    I decided to make a drive up to Estes Park yesterday. My intent was to grab a coffee and sit along the river to read and write. The thought crossed my mind to maybe have lunch before coming back. I ended up driving up to Trail Ridge Road. What a glorious day to make that drive. Last Fall Estes Park had a flood come through the town and wiped out most of it. Here are a few images. The city is built along the banks for the Big Thompson River and has been a tourist attraction for years. I am amazed at how well it looked. Lunch was probably the best turkey/bacon wrap with a pesto sauce to die for.

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  • Arches National Park,  Blossoms,  flowers,  National Parks,  Plants

    Common Paintbrush

    April 12, 2014

    Common Paintbrush
    Common Paintbrush

    At one of the stops along the road in Arches National Park I noticed the Common Paintbrush were blooming, and usually do from March to June. They are also called Slickrock Paintbrush or Early Paintbrush. The desert is a harsh land so plants find ways to survive in this arid land. This plant is hemiparasitic (partiallyhalf-parasite). It is a water parasite that survives drought by attaching to the roots of other plants using them as a source of water.

    Strange as it may seem I was drawn more to the plants such as these Paintbrush and the twisted junipers. The rock formations were amazing but looking within inches of you was just this incredibly amazing world.

    Common Paintbrush and Yucca
    Common Paintbrush and Yucca

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