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Christmas Eve Monument Snowstorm

Christmas Eve | Monday, December 24, 2012

On Christmas Eve it snowed all day which is a little unusual for the Grand Valley. When I got out of work, I thought it would be a good idea to drive up to the Colorado National Monument and take some photos in the snowstorm. I knew the road on top was closed because of the weather, so I went in via the Fruita entrance so I could at least drive to the Independence Monument Viewpoint. Some may find these photos boring and bland and much different from my typical ‘colorful’ images, but I was trying to create something more unique from these locations that I frequently visit and photograph. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the following images in the comments section.

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Snowshoeing to Water Dog Reservoir

Saturday, December 22, 2012

On Saturday evening I drove up onto the Grand Mesa so I could get my first snowshoe trip of the season in. I ended up going to the Mesa Lakes area and following the route that goes past the Water Dog Reservoir. I didn’t bring my camera with me this time, but I did take a few photos with my iPhone that I’ll share. I only saw two other people the whole time I was out on the trail and I made it back to my Jeep shortly before sunset. It was a nice way to spend the evening.

The Paria Plateau

Saturday & Sunday, November 10-11, 2012

For a little over a year now I’ve been pretty obsessed with exploring and photographing the unusual and spectacular sandstone formations of The Paria Plateau. I’ve been to Coyote Buttes North five times, Coyote Buttes South two times, and the White Pocket three times and have come back with some nice images and had a lot of fun. There is just so much to see up there I could probably spend a lifetime exploring the area and not see it all. Unfortunately, I feel it’s time for me to take a little break from this area so I can concentrate on exploring some other areas on the Colorado Plateau for a while. This will probably be my last trip report from The Paria Plateau for a little while. Don’t get me wrong, I might head back down there once or twice next year, but I certainly won’t be driving down six or seven times like I’ve done this past year.

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Fall and Winter on the Grand Mesa

Fall Colors 2012
Wednesday, September 26, 2012

After work I decided to drive up on top of the Grand Mesa for a few hours to try and photograph some of the fall colors before it was too late. I was hoping to come back with a couple of photos, but instead I came back with a whole trip report! The colors were outstanding and the active weather provided a lot of interesting views throughout the evening. I even got caught in a snowstorm while on the very top, reminding me of the approaching winter.

Beating the Heat in the San Juan Mountains

Saturday & Sunday, June 23-24, 2012

After spending a few hours in the morning at the Shavano Valley Petroglyph Park near Montrose, we continued driving into the San Juan Mountains to get out of the heat for the weekend. Shortly after crossing over Red Mountain Pass we turned down the road along the South Fork of Mineral Creek and found a campsite for the weekend. After setting up our camp we drove through Silverton and made our way up Cunningham Gulch to the trailhead for the Highland Mary Lakes. As soon as we passed through Silverton the valley started filling up with smoke, and by the time we reached the Cunningham Trailhead the smoke had become pretty thick and there was even a little ash falling from the sky. We would later learn this smoke was from a wildfire that had started near Mancos.