As a side trip from Capitol Reef National Park, we decided to hike to Upper Calf Creek Falls in the Escalante National Monument. The trailhead to this waterfall is just off of Utah Route 12 near Boulder. We traveled this route numerous times going to and from Torrey and the southern portion of Capitol Reef National Park.
The trail to the falls is only about a mile one way, but it is very steep over slick rock for the first portion, before becoming moderately level, then moderately steep just before the base of the falls. It is so steep that not only is coming back up the trail strenuous, but going down the trail takes some effort to avoid slipping and falling. There were a few places on the trail that required big steps down and up.
The information we found for the trail says the grade is 14% at the top and my son’s trail app showed as much as 20+% grade over some portions. Anyone reasonable fit can do this trail, but care is advised.
We had planned to make the round trip to the falls in about an hour. When we signed the trailhead register, we noted that the two previous hikers had taken hours on the trail, which gave us pause to consider whether much of that time was due to the strenuous nature of the trail.
Anyway, we proceeded cautiously down the trail. I knew the trip out would require me to stop to take periodic breathers, but I had no doubt that I could safely navigate down and back.
Due to the steepness and strenuous nature of the trail, I elected not to carry the weight of my heavy DSLR and lens. So the few photos in this post are via my iPhone.
Upper Calf Creek Falls and Pool, iPhone PhotoUpper Calf Creek Falls, iPhone PhotoUpper Calf Creek Falls, iPhone Pano
We took time at the base of the falls for photography, snacking and hydrating, before heading back to the trailhead. Our round trip time was 90 minutes, 1.5 times as long as we had anticipated. The additional 30 minutes was mostly due to the strenuous nature of the trail both going down and coming out.
We had done the trail to the Lower Calf Creek falls years ago. That trail is three times as long, but mostly on flat, sandy ground along the creek bed.
From the visitor center area there is a trail to a waterfall. The trail is supposed to go to two waterfalls an upper and a lower on the Frijoles River; but the trail to the lower falls was not open, presumably due to damage to the trail and safety concerns.
The trail is not a long one, but it has some steep portions. Still it was not overly difficult. Initially the trail follows beside and crosses the river at one or two places, then climbs out of the river valley, going up the valley wall.
As one nears the waterfall, a deep canyon comes into view. Geologists will find the canyon wall interesting as many layers of rock and geologic features are exposed.
Frijoles River Canyon, Bandelier National Monument, March 2021
The Frijoles River dumps into the Rio Grande at the end of this canyon.
There is a view point for the falls, after one hikes past the falls and looks back upstream. The trail here is far above the river and there is not a way to get close to the upper falls.
Upper Frijoles Falls, Bandelier National Monument, March 2020
A big lens is required for getting a close up of the falls. We planned to come back here again, but we never got back. So these images are all I have.
Upper Frijoles Falls, Bandelier National Monument, March 2020
This wraps up this visit to Bandelier National Monument.
Next up: Zapata Falls and The Great Sand Dunes in Colorado.
This is a continuation of a previous post with photographs from the ancient Native American site, Tsankawi, a part of the Bandelier National Monument, New Mexico.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Trail Fragment.
Up above the main continuous trail through Tsankawi, I spotted a portion of a trail that was obviously out of place. This part apparently broke away from its original location and lodged here many years ago.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Contemplation 2.
The depth of this portion of the trail is impressive. The pathways are narrow, which suggests that the people that made these were not large people.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Deep, Narrow and Steep.
It took a little effort to navigate some portions of these ancient paths, especially when carrying a daypack and DSLR.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Curves and Dead End.
Interestingly, this portion of the trail had dual pathways, but one was a dead end. Was this two lane path created by having one foot on one side and the other foot on the other side of the trail? Each side is too narrow for having both feet within the narrow channel.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Evidence of a dwelling, Shelter or storage area.
There were numerous indications of dwellings, shelters or storage areas along the pathways of Tsankawi. Some areas were off limits for visitors, so we did not get to see everything here.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Photographing the interior of a cave.
The entrance to this cave (above) seems to have a torso with head shape.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Cave.Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Caves.
There were numerous caves in some areas. Notice the foot and/or hand holds in the rocks around these caves.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi View.
A desert view from the main trail around the Tsankawi area.
This wraps up the best photos that I managed to get in this amazing place. Perhaps someday I will get back again, when conditions are more favorable for photography.
We visited Tsankawi again one afternoon, but we never really got to be here at the very best time of the day for photography. Although, we did have some cloudy sky, which helped add a little interest at times.
Tsankawi is really an amazing place. I was most impressed by the paths created by Native Americans many years ago. Those ancient people walked the same paths so often as to wear deep trenches in the rock. Sometimes the trenches were only a few inches deep and sometimes several feet deep. Even though the rock may not be super hard here, it is not soft either, so it must have taken many walkers over many years to create such deep pathways in the stone.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Walking Through the Past 1, monochrome with selective colorization.Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021.Walking Through the Past 2, monochrome with selective colorization.Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Trail.Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Contemplation. Monochrome with selective colorization.Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Old Tree and Fractured Rock with Petroglyphs
One has to look closely to see the old, worn petroglyphs, of which there were many, in some of the rock faces.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Lone Tree.Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Tsankawi Petroglyphs.
Viewing a larger image on Flickr will allow for better resolution of the many petroglyphs on this rock face.
Tsankawi, Bandelier NM, March 2021. Small Evergreen Tree growing in a crack in the Tsankawi desert area. Monochrome with selective colorization.
We woke up to a heavy snow cover in our campground the second morning of our visit here. We had been watching the weather forecast and expected snow over a large area, we just could not judge how much would fall at our location, which was a higher elevation than that used in the weather forecasts .
Snow in Bandelier Campground, March 2021, iPhone PhotoSnow in Bandelier Campground, March 2021, iPhone Photo
Judging by the depth of snow on the flat surfaces, it looks like 6-8 inches of cover.
After making a few early morning iPhone photos and taking care of a few housekeeping chores, I began to walk around the campground area with my DSLR.
I managed to isolate a few individual, snow covered trees against the overcast sky.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Tree and Clouds 1.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Tree and Clouds 2.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Monochrome Tree and Snow.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Skeleton Tree in Snow.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Towering Tree in Snow.
As I walked around, I tried to capture a few small features in the snow covered landscape.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Grass in Snow 1.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Grass in Snow, Monochrome.
And anything else that looked unique or interesting.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Crawling Snow Covered Tree Creature.
A distant mountainside was visible through the forest and I tried to frame that in a few photographs, but the 24-70mm lens did not allow for close ups of the distant mountains tops.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Distant Mountains 1.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Distant Mountains 2.
I think the individual trees are the best images that I captured here; but here are a few miscellaneous other images to give a feel for the general look of the snow covered forest area around the campground.
Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 1.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 2.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 3.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 4.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 5.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Snow Forest 6.Snow covers Bandelier Campground, March 2021. Old and Fallen, Old and Standing.
It is good that I got out early to capture the snow, since it began to melt away even as I made my way back to my van. It was essentially all gone by late morning.
On the morning of our third day in Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado, my oldest son and I returned to the Yampa River and the nearby grassy meadow for our final photography shoot before packing up and heading back to Denver.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 19mm, f/11, 0.8s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
We again went onto the bar in the river channel just east of the confluence of the Green and Yampa Rivers to shoot in the pre-sunrise and sunrise light.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 0.5s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
I made compositions similar to those of the previous day’s sunset shoot, capturing the morning sky, the canyon walls and reflections of those in the river.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 1/8s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Clouds moved across the sky as the light changed. I shot towards the east and the rising sun, then made a few images toward the west.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 1/6s, ISO 1600, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/11, 8s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
I turned again to the east and north as the sky and clouds became brighter, which created more contrast in the images and brighter reflections in the river.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 15mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
As the sun rose behind the canyon walls, the clouds became brighter and more colorful.
Yampa River Morning, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/16, 1/4s, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
After shooting in the river channel, we climbed back onto the meadow and made more images as the morning light advanced across the sky. The moon transited across the sky to the south as we shot.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 0.4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Today, rather than using rocks in the meadow as foreground objects, I put tall clumps of grass in the foreground.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
Shooting with the wide angle lens results in distortion, some of which can be taken out, but not all of it. Note how the rock outcrop on the right side of this image appears to be tilted in towards the middle of the image. Trying to take out this tilt with the tools in Adobe Lightroom will affect the rest of the image in an undesirable manner.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
There were a few scattered thistles in this meadow and I used one as a foreground object.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
The first of the sunrise rays began to show up on the top of the large rock outcrop on the east side of the meadow
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/125s, ISO 1250, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
and a little later on the rock outcrop on the west side.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16 1/125s, ISO 1250, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
We were fortunate to have scattered clouds this morning to add interest to the sky.
Echo Park Morning, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/125s, ISO 1250, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik Modules.
This wraps up the highlights of my July 2019 Colorado road trip,
My son and I return to the area near our sunrise shoot and go down a steep bank into the river channel, crossing a narrow, mucky interval near the bank, balancing on a narrow, short tree branch and rocks, avoiding as much mud and water as possible, trying not to fall, wading through shallow water on the edge of a broad bar, before getting onto the dry portion of the rocky bar in the river channel. We are just east of the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers. The river is broad and maybe not deep, but we do not test the waters; even though, there is a large driftwood tree on the bar on the opposite side that would make a great foreground object.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/13s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The river surface provides good reflections of the canyon walls, as we make numerous photos, while waiting for the sunset light. The river and a good portion of the canyon walls are already in shadow. A high wall to the west, will prevent full sunset light illumination of the entire canyon walls; but we expect golden light on the upper portion of these walls.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I experiment with different compositions with the 14-24mm lens at various focal lengths, while waiting for the golden hour. I use a 3 stop, soft, graduated neutral density filter to balance the exposure of the sky and the river.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/16, 1/25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The first of the golden hour rays are apparent in the image below and the light is already far up the canyon walls.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I make a series of images as the light changes in its move up the walls. Short, fractions of a second, shutter speeds make the river current ripples apparent in the images above. The images below are made with long shutter speeds, using a 7 stop neutral density filter, smoothing out the ripples.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 30s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The light is going away faster on the north wall than on the south wall, creating an asymmetrically lit image.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Blurring of the reflections by the river current is more apparent in the longer exposures.
Yampa River Reflection, Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 15mm, f/16, 25s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Finally, as the light disappears on the canyon walls to the east, I turn to check out possible compositions to the west.
Yampa River, Echo Park, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The sun is below the western rock face, the sky is bright and the river is in shadow, making it difficult to get a balanced exposure. While this is not a great photograph, I still like the leading line of the river with its current ripples, reflected skylight, fuzzy reflections of the bordering walls, the bars on each side of the channel and the soft streaky clouds in the sky. This view might be good in early morning sunrise light.
While waiting for the golden hour, I made a few iPhone images just to see what I can do with those and to show those who might use such a device to capture photographs, the possibilities for such images.
Yampa River at its confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
I can brighten the lower portion of the image above, but I think this looks more natural.
The Yampa River and Canyon in Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.Yampa River and canyon walls near sunset. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
That is it for this shoot. We have one more sunrise in Echo Park before ending this trip. Some of the images in this blog are posted to my Flickr page, where one can view them in higher resolution and viewing on a large screen will be best.
My son and I are in an open grassy area near the confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers in Dinosaur National Monument for our first sunrise shoot in Echo Park. The grassy area has a number of large rocks scattered around, which we think will be good foreground objects with the canyon walls in the background.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 30s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
As we wait for the sunrise light to illuminate the cliff faces, I am surprised to see how the pre-sunrise, indirect light gives such a warm red glow to the rocks. In fact, that indirect light might be best for photography here. I note that the foreground rocks receive reflected light from the high rock walls, taking on a pinkish red color.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 4s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I make numerous images with various exposures, while waiting for the direct light.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 1.6s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 19mm, f/11, 6s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
These images do not adequately convey the unspoiled beauty of this location.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 4s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/11, 3s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1.6s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1.6s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1s, ISO 100, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Just as the first rays of direct sunrise light touch the top of the canyon wall to the west, the setting moon appears in my compositions.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 19mm, f/11, 1/4s, ISO 200, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Shooting with the wide angle lens, the moon barely shows up in these images, but it is more apparent in the higher resolution images posted to my Flickr page.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Soon the first rays of direct light begin to light up the canyon wall at the confluence of the rivers.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Turning around, I see the light on the large cliff face just east of my position.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/16, 0.5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/6s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Looking back to the west, the sunrise light is advancing quickly down and across the canyon wall and the moon is still in the gap between the two large rock faces.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I continue to capture images from various view points as the sunlight advances on the western rock face.
Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/4s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Echo Park, DNM, Colorado. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/16, 1/6s, ISO 64, edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Comparing the first image in this post to the last ones, it is my opinion that the pre-direct, diffused light gives a more pleasing color to the rock than the direct sunrise light here. The sun is already fairly high in the sky before the rock face to the west receives the direct light, so the sunrise golden light is not seen on the west canyon wall.
Be sure to check out the higher resolution images on my Flickr page.
I’m hoping that someday I will visit Echo Park in the early fall to see trees with fall foliage.
Mosquitoes swarm relentlessly around us as we walk the short distance through a forested area to the Yampa River behind our campsite. We are covered in bug repellant. Still the mosquitos buzzing around our heads are an unpleasant distraction. We go down a steep bank with the aid of a rope tied to a tree, getting onto a sandbar in the river. We are shooting sunset photographs at this location our first evening in Echo Park.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1/160s, ISO 500. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
As usual, when shooting in a canyon, the late day light illuminates only a portion of the canyon wall.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 17mm, f/11, 1/20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The light on the far canyon wall reflects into the river with just a sliver at the edge of the sandbar.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/11, 1/20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
The top edge of the cliff side to the right of Steamboat Rock gets only a small wedge of late day sunset light.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/10s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I make a number of shots, capturing the sunset highlights and the reflections in the river.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, f/16, 1/8s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 16mm, f/16, 20s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
To smooth the ripples in the river, I use a seven stop neutral density filter and a long exposure.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 1/5s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
Each time I change the composition, I acquire a shot with a 3 stop soft graduated neutral density filter to balance the foreground and sky exposure, then add the seven stop ND for a long exposure.
Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, f/16, 30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/16, 1/3s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.Yampa River, Echo Park, DNM. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 18mm, f/11, 30s, ISO 64. Edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO Nik modules.
I like the way the long exposure shows the motion of the river current in the photo above. By the time these last two images are made, the golden hour light is gone, so we call it a day. We venture once again through the mosquito infested woods back to our campsite.
We are looking forward to a sunrise shoot tomorrow.
This post is a continuation of experiences and photography during a July 2019 road trip in Colorado.
From the Gates of Lodore in Dinosaur National Monument my oldest son and I continued on to Echo Park, also in Dinosaur National Monument. To get to Echo Park one must travel 13 miles down a narrow, steep, rocky, high clearance vehicle road. The road is not an extreme 4 wheel drive, at least not when dry and going into the area is mostly downhill; but 4 wheel drive vehicles are recommended for this road. There are some narrow intervals, where it is not possible for two vehicles to pass each other.
There is a sizable campground in Echo Park, but sites are on a first come basis, so there is no guarantee that one will find a campsite after the drive down. We were fortunate that a number of campsites were available, when we arrived, and two of those sites had good shade, which we really needed, since the daytime temperatures were in the mid 90s (F). The shade only protected us during the morning and part of mid-day. In the afternoons there was no avoiding the sun. Since we were out in the early morning and late day for photography, we were mostly resting around the campsite during the day. The summer heat can make it difficult to be entirely comfortable in the vehicle during the day and the insects with mosquitos made it undesirable to be outdoors. This is one of those times, when an outdoor, screen shelter would be useful. However, a nearby couple with such a shelter said the insects and mosquitos got into the shelter, anyway. The mosquitos also got into our vehicle each time we opened a door, so we spent some time trying to eliminate them. I have since acquired a couple of battery powered bug zappers to test during a future trip.
The Sportsmobile in Echo Park Camp Site. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.Steamboat Rock in my window. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.Echo Park Campground view from my window. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
The setting for the campground is very nice with views of Steamboat Rock on one side and views of high cliffs all around. From our campsite we only had to walk a very short distance through woods to the river and good views of Steamboat Rock and the Yampa River.
Steamboat Rock in Echo Park, Dinosaur National Monument, Colorado. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.A panoramic view of the Yampa River going around Steamboat Rock. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
During the mid-day hours, we made a couple of exploratory hikes looking for good places for sunrise and sunset photography.
An old dead tree along a trail in Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Even though the NPS website says there are no trails in Echo Park, there is at least one created by frequent visitors and it appears to go on along the river for quite a way.
A trail through Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Hiking along this trail, we found a large, open grassy park with scattered rocks that would be useful as foreground, with the canyon walls in the background.
Echo Park with rock foreground and starburst. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
The bank of the river near this area is steep, but we found a way down into the channel. If hiking here, be aware that the river bank is undercut in numerous places, where it could give way without warning, so be very careful walking near the river bank.
Yampa River Channel. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
We think we can get good photos in the river channel at both sunrise and sunset.
Yampa River at its confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
The confluence of the Yampa and Green Rivers cannot be seen in these photographs, as it is hidden behind the vegetation and rocks near the center of the the image above and that below.
Yampa River near the confluence with the Green River. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.The Yampa River and Canyon in Echo Park. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.Yampa River and canyon walls near sunset. iPhone photograph edited in Adobe Lightroom and DxO modules.
Several of these iPhone images were actually made during sunrise or sunset shoots.
DSLR sunset and sunrise photography here will be the subject of subsequent posts.
