Thursday, December 28, 2006

The Eagles Have Landed!





These are bald eagles that are wintering in Cherry Creek State Park, about ten minutes from our home. There are 10-12 pairs at the park. I've seen them a number of times. They aren't as skittish about you walking up to take their picture as I thought they might be. It's really something to see them take off, glide, soar and dive for fish in the lake.

I believe they also have wintering spots at Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Barr Lake and Jackson Lake, so I'm going to try to see those also sometime before February when they head north again.

RMNP XXI






It was a cold, windy day at the Park. Lots of snow blowing on the peaks, if you could even see them. I was driving through Horseshoe Park and saw this bull elk so I pulled off the road and got out of the car. He just started walking towards me so I just kept snapping his picture. If I hadn't moved out of his way I think his antlers would have hit me as he crossed the road. He was beautiful.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Winter Wildlife






I took these shots Friday-Sunday in Cherry Creek State Park, about an hour each day. In that short amount of time I saw: deer, coyotes, geese, gulls, ducks, squirrels, magpies and a big red-tailed hawk.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Middle Park & North Park








This was probably the worst photo day I've had. It was reported that there was 20" of new snow in North Park (20cm, maybe). In Middle Park it was cold, windy, and the clouds were low so I could rarely see the peaks. I only took 81 shots (normally about 250-350). Nevertheless it was still a pleasant journey.

Top photo is Lake Granby just after sunrise. I couldn't figure out why it was not frozen at all, and Grand Lake, just a few miles north was solid ice. Second photo is Colorado River in Kawuneeche Valley. The Colorado River flows into Grand Lake and on to Lake Granby where it exits. The third and fourth photos are of the Front Range from the west. Fifth photo is Poudre Falls of the Cache La Poudre River (cash la pooder). Sixth shot is Cache La Poudre River just below the falls. Bottom photo is some winter color in Middle Park.

Sunday, October 22, 2006

RMNP in Black & White





I played around with conversions to black and white this weekend. These are some of the best ones of the Park. I'm amazed, and I shouldn't be, at how some of my favorites in color are so flat and lifeless in b/w, and how some that aren't so hot in color look good when converted. You can also apply different colored filters to these after conversion and that can make a dramatic difference also. Just something new to learn I guess, and another interesting thing to do with your photos.

The top photo is Sprague Lake, second is Mummy Mountain, third is Mt. Baker and the Colorado River in Kawuneeche Valley, bottom is Fall River in Horseshoe Park.

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Cherry Creek State Park in White








Thanks to my wife's suggestion, I went over to Cherry Creek State Park this am. We had just a couple inches of snow overnight and the sun had just come out. It was melting already so I was in a real hurry.

The top two photos are a couple of deer munching their breakfast. The rest are just shots around the park.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Bees





Due to gasoline prices I've been staying a little closer to home for my photo trips. This time I went all the way to the end of our driveway. I was intrigued by these bees and hoped I could get close engough to get some images without getting stung. Fortunately, they totally ignored me. Too busy with the pollen thing I guess.

Saturday, September 02, 2006

Alberta Falls





I almost didn't go up to the Park today. The weather forecast was cool, cloudy and 30% chance of rain. But I figured that meant a 70% chance of no rain - right? It turned out to be a gorgeous day and I'm glad I went.

I've been wanting to get to Alberta Falls (Glacier Creek). It's accessed from the Glacier Gorge trailhead (Bear Lake Road) and is about .9mi (one way). The published info says it's a 210' net elevation gain, but what it doesn't say is the trail starts out downhill so it's more than that. Except for a couple of stretches it's pretty gradual, so it was a nice walk.

It's really a great place, one to add to my favorites list. A beautiful waterfall, lots of large boulders, very quiet, serene, etc. The large boulders allow you to walk up the falls right alongside the water. Kinda scary, but cool.

Top photo is the bottom of the falls (1/10 sec exposure). The second shot is from back where you initially see the falls (as with all of the waterfalls you hear them long before you can see them). The third photo is a wild animal on one of the boulders. Last photo is just a different angle.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Old Fall River Road






I drove up Old Fall River Road for the first time this year. It's only open 2-3 months so I had to make sure I got it in. It's a narrow, dirt, one lane road (up only) that's 9 miles. It goes from West Horseshoe Park up to the Alpine Visitor Center alongside the Fall River. It took me 4 hours to get to the top so I guess I took a lot of shots.

Top photo is a curve in Old Fall River Road. Second photo is Chasm Falls. Third photo is the Canyoncito (little canyon) of the Fall River. Fourth photo is the top of Chasm Falls. Bottom photo is another guy I met near the falls.

Saturday, July 01, 2006

RMNP XX






A nice day at the park. Sunny and cool in the am, overcast in the pm. About noon it seemed like a gazillion tourists woke up and came to the park. It got pretty crowded, but that's to be expected on the 4th of July weekend.

The top photo is Kawuneeche (coyote) Valley just after dawn. You have to get up at 4am to get this shot if you live in SE Denver. Second photo is a wildflower and friend in Beaver Ponds area. I'm not sure if I should take the third photo personally or this elk just doesn't like people! This was taken near the top of Trail Ridge Road, about 12000'. Fourth photo is Upper Copeland Falls (North Saint Vrain Creek). This is a really nice spot. There are lower falls around the corner also. Bottom photo is some wildflowers growing on a ledge above Adams Falls (background).

Saturday, June 17, 2006

RMNP XIX





A very dark, dreary day in the park. Raining at the lower elevations, snowing at Forest Canyon. Of course I showed up in tshirt and shorts. Luckily I usually take jeans and a jacket just in case. With hardly any of the peaks visible I decided to shoot low. So I went to the meadows and shot some flowers, streams, etc. A dreary day at the park is still a great day!

Top photo is Fall River as it heads out of East Horseshoe Park. Second is a wildflower near Beaver Ponds. Third is two coyotes in Moraine Park. Bottom photo is Mummy Mountain just after dawn.