“Rocky Mountain Glaciers” Photo of the Week #44, selected in March, 2020
I was fortunate to have lived in Centennial State for a few years and was able to see some beautiful and extraordinary scenery, like the glaciers below, sitting high up in the Rocky Mountains. The orange on the cliffs is not rust but lichen, a composite organism that arises from algae. Lichen is long-lived, being considered one of the oldest forms of life on the planet.
Glacial geology can be seen nearly everywhere throughout the many ranges making up the Rocky Mountains. Ice is a powerful sculptor and large masses of moving ice are among its most powerful tools. While the glaciation periods are largely in the past, the Rockies still have several small glaciers.
“The Donut Hole” Photo of the Week #43, selected in March, 2020
Ever since I took this photo in the Colorado Rockies, I’ve referred to it as my “Donut Hole” picture. I guess it reminds me of powdered sugar donut. Sometimes a name just sticks…
This shot was taken from the top of the slopes above Winter Park. We don’t ski but traveled to the top of the Continental Divide via snow plow. If you haven’t experienced winter in Colorado, it should be on your to-do list. The Winter Park resort area, owned by the City of Denver, ranges from 8,700 to 12,060 feet above sea level and is considered sub-alpine country. It is snow-covered for about six months a year.
“Snow Moon” Photo of the Week #41, selected in February, 2020
It’s unusual to witness a moon rising from a mountain gap. It happens even less often during winter and snow is covering the mountains, and it’s more uncommon still to see it in daylight without the usual winter cloud cover. I was remarkably fortunate to capture this shot of the moon rising between Mosquito Peak and Mt. Arkansas in the Arapaho National Forest in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains.
This photo was taken just north of Leadville, Colorado, the highest (by elevation) incorporated city in the country (10,152 feet), the gap viewed from SR 91.
“Alpine Ice” Photo of the Week #39, selected in February, 2020
On the highest paved road in the United States, ending at the peak of a “fourteener,” Mount Evans, in Central Colorado, winter tends to be long. This photo was taken in June, not January, a few years ago, right after the road was opened for the summer season. This is a shot of Summit Lake, along Mount Evans Scenic Drive, a little more than five miles from the peak.
From outherecolorado.com: This alpine lake sits nestled in a glacier-carved cirque below 14,264-foot Mount Evans and 13,842-foot Mount Spalding. The area, designated in 1965 as Colorado’s first National Natural Landmark, is considered an excellent example of alpine tundra in the United States, with numerous alpine plants growing among the boulders.
If you plan a visit, make sure you are aware of altitude sickness, which can cause headaches, vomiting, tiredness, confusion and dizziness. For some, the conditions can be serious. Here is more info: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Altitude_sickness
“An Elevated Garden” Photo of the Week #28, selected in November, 2019
High up in the Colorado Rockies is a popular hiking trail through Guanella Pass. This trail takes you to one of Colorado’s “Fourteeners,” Mount Bierstadt, and is laced with scenic views. I especially enjoy the wild alpine flower gardens, few and far between, scattered around the mountainous terrain.
When I first viewed this, one of my iconic Colorado shots, I wondered how a single purple “pioneer plant” came to take residence in this field of yellow “old man of the mountain” wildflowers. But then, after looking closely, I could see others far behind the yellow blooms near the green shrubs.
A quick note about alpine or tundra wildflowers from amylaw.blog: “[They’re] small. There just isn’t time in the short, high-altitude summer to get big, especially when flowers cost the plant so much in terms of energy. And they are spread far apart, to ensure that they get plenty of sun and water. So you’re not going to see meadows dense with flowers blowing in the wind.” You can see that this is a unique field of tundra flowers, larger but still separated within their field.
“Snack Time for a Chipmunk” Photo of the Week #12, selected in August, 2019
Not far from the popular Bear Lake in the Rocky Mountain National Park is another, smaller pool, the beautiful Sprague Lake, where I have taken many photos. One such pic was this chipmunk, seemingly impervious to my presence. Evidently nothing stands between a chipmunk and his snack…
As always, please click on the link to view the clear, full-color image:
When we decided to move from Kansas, we had a tough time deciding where to live. I had had my fill of the flat, nondescript Midwest and Nadyne wanted nothing to do with living on the Pacific coast (they have earthquakes, mudslides, wildfires and volcanos there) or the extreme heat of Arizona. We had lived in Buffalo, NY, and I was over winter and arctic temperatures. We lived for a few years in Las Vegas and the temps there are brutal, too, besides the fact that it’s the ultimate tourist town, not so great for locals.
Somehow we pared our list of possible destinations from twenty to ten, then to five. After looking at employment stats, we ended up choosing Denver, and bought a manufactured home in a northern suburb. I knew about their winters, but Colorado’s natural beauty was an exciting aspect my photographer’s eye couldn’t pass up. Unfortunately, unbeknownst to me, all that beauty begot crowds.
Here’s an example of a surprising hiking experience. We decided to go hiking in the mountains one summer weekend on a fairly easy trail on Guanella Pass, about two hours from home. Having heard that it’s a popular trail, we got up at 3:30 am (still dark) and left by 4 (in the morning!). We got there at 6:05 am to find the trailhead parking lot and about a half-mile of roadside in both directions completely full of vehicles of all types and sizes. When I thought about it, that meant that most of these people had gotten up and left even before we did. There are almost 3 million residents in the Denver metropolitan area, and another million in Colorado Springs region, and a lot of those people are in Colorado for the same reason we moved here. Add to that the international draw of the Rocky Mountains, several national parks, Pikes Peak, the “Fourteeners” mountain peaks and the abundance of wildlife, to be “one” with nature is nearly impossible — there’s just not much solitude to experience.
One would think that a world-famous ski region would only be crowded in the winter. Au contraire. Colorado and its nearly six million residents, along with millions of visitors, can be as crowded as an elevator in Times Square year-round.
So went the struggle during our six years living north of Denver. I’m definitely not sorry we moved there — my photographer’s itch was relieved many times over, we met some amazing friends there, and it was where we began our RV camping lifestyle. But, even after learning when the most and least popular visitor days and times were, there were numerous weekends that found us staying home when we really wanted to be in the mountains. Luckily I’m not into winter sports or I would have a whole separate diatribe to share.
Trappings of the Years 