During my visit to Steamboat Springs I always got up at 5 a.m. so I could enjoy nature, hiking, and birding in the best light. Steamboat Lake State Park is 26 miles north of Steamboat Springs, but I still managed to get there early in the day.

While I took about 300 shots there, only two of them pleased me. One shows the scene from the 1.1 mile Tombstone Nature Trail along the south side of the lake. This is a part of Steamboat Lake and Sand Mountain, one of the most beautiful mountains in the Elkhead Mountain range. It rises 10,847 feet to the southwest of Steamboat Lake.

Sand Mountain Rises Above Steamboat Lake

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The other shot that I liked was of just a common Raven. But doesn’t it look powerful!

A Raven in Early Morning Light

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A Raven to some people may be just another big black bird. But to me it is one of the smartest. Maybe because it gets up early every day.