Susan DeWind is an intrepid hiker I met in August when we hiked 132 miles together on a Sierra Club trek through the High Sierra in California. A few days ago she sent me great photos of herself and of me from that memorable journey:

Susan and Hawksbeak

An Impish Guy at Stella Lake

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This afternoon I got out for a leisurely walk along the South Boulder Creek Trail. While no one else was walking the trail, plenty of people ran past me or raced by on their bicycles.

The afternoon was warm, and I was in a better mood that the past few cold days when I shut myself into my apartment. I loved the peaceful feeling of being out in nature.

As I set up my camera on a tripod and sat down to compose my pictures, I reflected that the careful photography that I have moved into is more like fishing that the other outdoor activities I see. Both photographers and fishermen take their time to soak in the environment. I certainly did today.

Using only my new 300 mm telephoto lens on my Gitzo tripod, I took 50 pictures of the three scenes below and picked the sharpest images.

Close Up of a Prairie Dog

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The Berries of Fall

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Seeding Plant Along South Boulder Creek

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My 12-day trip to Southwestern Colorado took a strange twist a week ago when I had an emergency operation in Durango, 500 miles from home. The operation went well and the hospital discharged me on Sunday.

But I was stranded in Durango. Traveling alone, I checked into a motel as I tried to figure out a way to return home.

The surgeon strongly recommended against my driving back. The main reason was that if I had to hit the brake hard, I could tear open the six inch incision in my stomach.

But the surgeon offered an inspired suggestion. “You can probably find someone on Craig’s List who wants to share a ride from Durango to the Denver area,” he told me.

In fact, I found two parties who wanted a ride from Durango to within 20 miles of my home. One of the parties was a couple, Jason and Christine, who wrote on Craig’s List that “2 of us (1 guy, 1 girl) are finishing a hike of the co trail 10/05 and need a ride from durango to denver. We each have 1 large backpack to take, willing to share all ride expenses of course. Cell 720-352-4029. Pls leave a msg, we don’t have cell or internet while hiking so we won’t be able to respond till the 5th.” [Read more →]

My photography and hiking vacation in Southwestern Colorado took an  acute twist last night. I ended up in Durango’s Mercy Regional Medical  Center for an emergency operation.

After two and one-half great days in Mesa Verde National Park, I drove  30 miles to Durango. My plan had been to finish my vacation with a 90- mile round trip from Durango to Silverton on the Durango & Silverton  Narrow Gauge Railroad. The train has been in continuous operation for  127 years through spectacular mountain scenery.

I even bought a ticket to go Deluxe Class from 9 this morning to 6 this evening. I also got a room in a Durango motel for last night and  tonight.

But about 7 p.m. yesterday I got a stomach ache that just wouldn’t go away. At midnight I rather sheepishly I drove to the emergency room in  Durango’s Animas Surgical Hospital. [Read more →]

For my second full day at Mesa Verde National Park today this sunrise from the balcony of my room at Far View Lodge welcomed me:

Far View Sunrise

Then, later this morning I experienced the most challenging cliff dwelling, Balcony House. The challenge was in getting to and from the one cliff dwelling clearly situated for defense:

The View of Balcony House from Across the Canyon

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For my first full day at Mesa Verde National Park on Tuesday I sought out the largest cliff dwelling. And the position of the sun in the sky determined when I photographed it.

Mesa Verde offers so much to do that I had to be picky. I focused both literally and figuratively on Cliff Palace, the largest Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwelling anywhere. Once it probably had more than 200 rooms, of which 151 remain, including 23 kivas.

Cliff Palace has an incredible location, 100 feet below an overhanging ledge of rock. I appreciated the location all the more when I hiked down to it and then back up. I took this photo from part way down:

Overview of Cliff Palace, the Largest Cliff Dwelling in the World

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When I started this road trip to Southwestern Colorado, I had two regrets.

I wanted to stay at Orvis Hot Springs, one of Colorado’s few clothing-optional hot springs resorts. But they had no rooms available until late in October.

My drive Monday from Montrose to Mesa Verde National Park took me within a couple of miles of the hot springs. Naturally, I stopped to look around and see if they had a day-use option. They did and I took it.

Wisely, everyone soaking in the hot pools opted out of their clothes, and of course I did too. The day was perfect for a nude outdoor soak, with clear skies and dry weather in the high 70’s or low 80’s.

Actually, a soak for an hour, rather than staying for a day or two, was just what I needed. Photos were of course not an option.

My second regret was missing the height of the aspens changing color in Rocky Mountain National Park. But Southwestern Colorado showed me more aspens changing color to yellow and orange than I had ever seen in my whole life. I photographed about one and one-half billion of these aspen trees, and this was my favorite shot (thanks to a clear day and my new 300mm lens):

Aspens near Telluride

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Today I returned to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. This trip took me down into the canyon and then along the south rim.

Only one road goes down into the canyon. East Portal Road took me to the east side, where although the canyon is wider, it is still beautiful.

Gunnison River in Black Canyon

Aside from this road, the only way down is a steep and dangerous hike that all my sources say is not something mortals should consider. I did hike from the East Portal road to the tiny sandbar in this photo, where the rudimentary trail stops completely. [Read more →]

My new lens is wonderful, but not enough. I realized today that I need a another prime lens to handle closer distances. Doug Goodin, a professional nature photographer who is a friend and mentor, recommends a 50mm lens. Maybe when I get this one I will be satisfied!

I’ve bought two photos of Colorado scenes and both of them grace my living room. Doug took one of them, and another professional nature photographer in Boulder, Peter Steele, took the other one. He calls it “Horse Crossing” and a low resolution version of it is online. Peter told me that he found this scene near the town of Marble, and since the road I was taking today went close to Marble I drove there to see if I could find the setting.

Here is a copy of the online version of Peter’s photo. The print that I have is a lot sharper:

"Horse Crossing" by Peter Steele

While Peter was there in spring and I got there in the fall, this is same place:

More Horses

I was headed toward the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, the only national park in Colorado that I hadn’t experienced before. The National Parks attract me. We have 58 of them in this country now, and I have experienced just over half of them. [Read more →]

Sometimes even the best lens isn’t good enough. I needed both my 18-200mm zoom and my 300mm telephoto lens to capture spectacular Mt. Sopris on Friday.

Not until after 1 p.m. did I get away on my unplanned road trip to southwestern Colorado. First, Nancy, my friend and neighbor, and I went out for breakfast and then took a hike together. Then, I needed to pack.

Even though I got a late start I didn’t feel rushed — not until I got to Glenwood Springs, near the end of the high rent district. All the way west on Interstate 70 I passed one upscale ski resort after another, including the most famous, Vail. I took a good look around Vail, which again struck me like a chic wide spot in the road. Colorado’s other top end ski resort, Aspen, which I visited with my friend Mark a few months ago, still attracts me much more.

The pricy resorts stop at Carbondale, just south of Glenwood Springs and west of Aspen. On Friday when I got to Glenwood Springs about 6 p.m. I realized that I needed to step on it in order to catch the last light on foot Mt. Sopris. This 13,000 foot mountain towers 7,000 feet over the Crystal River Resort about six miles south of Carbondale, where I had a reservation to spend the night in a charming cabin. It lacked wifi, but places — like lenses — can’t have everything.

My timing to capture Mt. Sopris was perfect. I got to the resort about 6:30, took my first shot at 6:38 and my last one at 7:01 just after the light faded. I used my best tripod with each lens to get the sharpest photos I could.

When I bought my new 300mm telephoto lens I knew that its fixed focal length lacked the flexibility of my zoom lens. So I needed this shot with my zoom lens turned to a 35mm focal length to set the scene:

Mt. Sopris and the Crystal River at the Crystal River Resort

Six minutes earlier I got this close up of the mountain with my brand new 300mm lens. What a difference! [Read more →]