Tag: Fall

Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 23, 2020, Part 3

I began my late day photography in the Rio Grande National Forest by walking briefly through the forest near my campsite before crossing FSR 380 into the forest on the opposite side of the roadway.

Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, 1/125s, f/11, ISO 200.

The first image here is a shot down FSR 380, just past my campsite.  It is obvious from this image that there are some Aspens in peak fall color, while many others are just beginning to show signs of changing from green to yellow.

Overhead Loop. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 46mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 2500.

Aspens tend to grow straight and tall, self pruning as they gain height, but some grow in strange ways, such as this one on the right side in the image above, with the loop at top, where it turns sideways.

Forest Seclusion. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 48mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 2500.

Aspen trunks have always fascinated me.  They are usually tall, slender and grayish-white with hints of green and sometimes other colors, with smooth to rough trunks with dark black marks, where limbs have fallen off as the trees matures.

Forest Eyes. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 44mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 200.
Forest Light. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/500s, f/11, ISO 200.

A forest is also a good place to get a starburst effect; but I think the one in the image above is too large and distracting.  A smaller aperture would have given a smaller, sharper starburst.

Leaves and Trunks. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 400.
Signatures. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 800.

I do not know what made the curved traces on the two trees in this image, but they are remarkably like data plots that I interpreted as a part of my work before my retirement.  I posted this image on LinkedIn, where I knew others would see those traces as I did,  and as of this writing it has received 15,275 views, 252 likes and 56 comments.

Under the Canopy. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/100s, f/11, ISO 800.

The small Aspens in full color beneath the much taller ones were eye-catching.

Under and Over. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/160s, f/11, ISO 800.
Leaning into Fall. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 60mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 800.
Aspen Sky. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 50mm, 1/500s, f/11, ISO 400.

A skyward view beneath the tall Aspens can be awesome, especially if the Aspens are in full fall color, with the yellow leaves set against a blue sky.  There is a full range of color in the images here, since “peak” color is not yet here.

Skyward. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 200.
Joyful. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/50s, f/11, ISO 320.

Even without the peak color, the aspen trunks with green and yellow foliage and scattered evergreens beneath them provide beautiful fall forest scenes.

To be continued,

Ken

 

Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 23, 2020, Part 2

Driving westerly along FSR 380, I came to a vacant campsite just off of the roadway.  This was a site that I had noted, when passing by on my trip into Del Norte earlier in the week.  The forested area around this campsite looked promising for photography, so I pulled into the site.

Rio Grande National Forest Campsite. iPhone photograph.
Forest Campsite. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/60s, f/11, ISO 200.

As I was walking around the camping area, I heard a loud, raucous bird, that seemed angry about something.  Thinking that I might be in danger of being attacked by an irate bird, I turned to look for the bird, catching a brief glimpse of it as it flew past me.  It crashed hard into the side of my vehicle and fell to the ground.  It was a beautifully colored woodpecker, which moved a little as I kneeled to inspect it.  I hoped it was just dazed and would recover consciousness and be ok, so I gently picked it up and placed it in the wooded area nearby the campsite.

Kamikaze Woodpecker. iPhone photograph.

Unfortunately, it did not recover.  I can only surmise that it objected to the red color of my vehicle or saw its reflection in the vehicle and thought it was another bird intruding upon its territory, or it was giving me a warning buzz that ended tragically.

Such events always make me wonder about the uncertainties of life and the random convergence of events leading to such tragedies.  Would this have happened, if I had not parked here at this specific time or had I slightly modified my parking spot or backed into the campsite rather than pulling forward into it?

I just hope that I am not the cause of any other tragic events.

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, September 22, 2020, Part 2

After the creek and waterfall trek, I drove along FSR 243 towards FSR 380.  There are several places that I had noted, via Google Earth, along FSR 243 as places of possible interest and possible campsites.  When passing these locations previously, I was not impressed by the view that I had from the roadway.  There had always been a number of campers in these areas and I had seen fly fishermen in the creek.  As I passed by the primary location of interest today, there were no others anywhere around, so I decided to check it out.

A dirt road departed FSR 243 at a sharp angle and moderately downhill into a broad, open flat area with plenty of space for multiple unrestricted campsites.  I drove to the end of the dirt road and got out to have a look around.  Walking to the creek, I immediately saw a number of trout in the shallow water.  The bank along the creek was mostly steep with loose soil, but I found a place to safely get down to the edge of the creek and then stepped over to the other side at a narrow place in the creek.

I shot a number of iPhone photos and made a couple of videos of the flowing creek.

Treasure Creek. iPhone photograph.

One can see in the photo above that it is getting very cloudy again.

After awkwardly stepping back across the creek and making my way back to my vehicle, I continued on to FSR 380 and headed westerly.

I stopped along FSR 380 at a place that I had previously spotted and near where I had shot another late day image, when returning from Del Norte.

Approaching Storm. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/13s, f/16, ISO 64.

It had sprinkled light rain sporadically and began again as I was shooting here. It was apparent from the heavy clouds that a storm was brewing over the mountains.

I continued along FSR 380 and it began to rain more heavily.  The rain soon turned to slushy ice, then to pellet like snow.  I was close to several campsites that I had been keeping an eye on.  My coveted location had always had a truck camper in it, whenever I had previously passed by.  Today I got lucky.  The spot I liked was empty.  There was an RV trailer nearby in the same camping area in a spot, which had always been available previously,  and I had resolved myself to maybe having to use that space, if it was available today and the truck camper was still here.

Snowy Campsite. iPhone photograph.

After parking in the campsite, I got out to take a photo with the snow coming down.  I then waited, hoping that the snow would end and I would be able to shoot photos from this location.

The snow continued long enough for the ground to be thinly covered, but it mostly melted away soon after the snow stopped.  As sunset time approached, I walked into an open area with a good view of the valley and the mountains to the southwest.

After the Storm. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/25s, f/11, ISO 64.

With the cloud cover, I knew there was little chance of a golden hour sunset today.

Mountain Storm Clouds. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/80s, f/11, ISO 64.

The storm clouds made up for the lack of a golden hour sunset.

Mountain Peaks and Meadow. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 26mm, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 640.

When I first saw this location, I thought it would be best for a sunset shoot; but as I looked around today, consulting my photo app on my iPhone, I realized that this location was better for sunrise than sunset.

Mountain Meadow. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/80s, f/16, ISO 800.
Late Day Light. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/40s, f/16, ISO 800.

I hung out here shooting until just after sunset.

Cloudy Sky. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 55mm, 0.4s, f/11, ISO 64.
Late Day Sky. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 55mm, 0.4s, f/11, ISO 64.

I’m now looking forward to a sunrise shoot here.

More on that later,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, September 22, 2020, Part 1

I arose early in the morning, still not sure that I wanted to tackle the creek hike with my heavy camera gear.  I peeked outside to see what the weather and sky looked like, before deciding to prepare for the day.

The sky appeared to be mostly clear, so I had an herbal tea and a light snack, then gathered my gear for a morning shoot, having decided to have a go at getting to those two waterfalls.

I knew that I would need to be careful with the gear and with my footing and balance during this trek, so I brought along my hiking stick as an aid in balance and control.  I usually do not use the hiking stick, since it is just another item to keep up with and easily left somewhere.  I also tend to use my tripod as a hiking stick, whenever I carry it in my hands.

I also wanted to have both hands free when walking, so I fastened the tripod to the back of my Camelbak, slung a filter pouch over my head and shoulder and clipped the DSLR to the front of the Camelbak via carabiners and an old camera strap that I had cut and sewn to the pack years ago.  The camera can still swing away from my body, when I have to stoop over, so I still have to hold onto it sometimes to prevent it from bumping into something.

Thus I began the hike up the steep slope along the ridge above the creek.  I knew that I should have gotten out a little earlier, but my hesitation to even try this, resulted in a late start this morning. I also did not want to start this hike in the dark and I knew that the mountain to the south would shield the very early morning light until later, so the sun would already be fairly high in the sky before I saw it.

Waterfall and Stream. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 70mm, 1/6s, f/20, ISO 800.

I was glad to have the hiking stick this morning as it was a safety aid in going down and across steep slopes and helping my balance, when crossing the stream.

The photo set up procedure was a bit slow and awkward, whenever I stopped for a photograph.  I first released the carabiners holding the DSLR onto my backpack and put the camera in a secure place, then I removed the filter case from around my neck, then I removed the Camelbak, then I unstrapped the tripod from the Camelbak.  After shooting at a location, I reversed this procedure to put all items back into place before moving on to the next location.

Wispy Waterfall. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, 1/6s, f/22, ISO 800.
Mountain Stream. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/6s, f/18, ISO 500.
Cascade and Mossy Rocks. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 24mm, 1/8s, f/11, ISO 800.

To get the shot above, I had to get into a tight place and crouch on my knees, being very careful not to drop something into the creek.  As I was preparing to get out of this uncomfortable position, I could not find the metal plate lens cover for the Progrey filter holder and I was afraid that it might have slide behind me into the creek.  I looked into the creek and did not see the cover from my vantage point.   A closer examination of the filter holder case revealed the cover hidden between the individual filter cases, where I tend to habitually put it, when it is not in use.

No Name Waterfall. Nikon D850, Nikon 24-70mm @ 42mm, 1/8s, f/11, ISO 40.

When I arrived at the second waterfall, I stood below an undercut cliff on the south side of the creek, where the 24-70mm lens let me isolate the waterfall, excluding all the unattractive and distracting clutter around it.

The last image here was selected for Flickr’s Explore page, where as of the date of this writing, it has received 4,213 views and 103 favorites.  This is not a record for me and far short of the number of views and favorites that others on Flickr have, but still nice for my level of activity on Flickr.  I’m pleased with these photos and glad that I made the effort to get them.  I might never have such an opportunity again.

Thanks for following,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, September 21, 2020, Part 2

Demarcation. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/250s, f/16, ISO 200.

Continuing my morning photo shoot, I walked up FSR 250 towards my parking spot, using the roadway as a leading line.

The fall color development in the Aspens is not uniform.  It can be spotty, with whole groves of changed trees within a forest of trees that have not changed at all.  In the image above most of the trees on the right are well advanced in their fall foliage, while those on the left are just beginning to change.

Forest Roadway. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/11, ISO 200.
Fall Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/160s, f/16, ISO 200.

The image above was selected for Flickr Explore and so far has received 234 faves out of 7124 views.

Aspen Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 200.
Aspen Fall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/250s, f/16, ISO 200.

The image above is not an inspiring one, but it is a realistic scene along the roadside.

After walking farther than I had anticipated, my vehicle came into view.

Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 200.

Even though I did not walk very far through the forest to intersect the roadway below my parking place, the roadway went much farther through the forest to get to the same point downhill of here.

Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 200.

Concluding my morning shoot along FSR 250, I drove westward, stopping at a pullout, that I had made note of my second day here, shortly before getting to the junction with FSR 380.

I walked past a metal gate into an open area scouting for a good vantage point from which to shoot a red top mountain with the forest in the foreground.  I had brought out my wide angle lens, but I soon decided that I needed to use a long lens to get the photo that I wanted.  Leaving my tripod on top of a flat top boulder in the open area, I retrieved my 80-400mm lens and walked back to the the tripod.

This photo is the final result:

Red Mountain and Red Aspens. Nikon D850, Nikon 80-400mm @ 80mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 800.

It was not the best time of the day for the typical light that landscape photographers prefer, but it was overcast and the mountain top was occasionally highlighted in sunlight when there was a break in the clouds and I like the color layers in this image.

I continued to FSR 380 then to FSR 243 and to its end.  There were a couple of vehicles and a horse trailer already here, but no one around.

I was waffling about what to do this afternoon, but I was not very energetic.  After a light lunch, I read via my Kindle, then took a nap on the bench seat.

The morning had begun sunny and partly cloudy, but the afternoon became heavily overcast with intermittent light rain.

I heard another vehicle pull up, then I saw someone in hunting gear walking around looking at my vehicle.  I moved to the front driver’s seat, opened the door and chatted with one of the two hunters.  One remained in their truck, sheltered from the light rain.

They were from upstate New York and had been coming here for years during hunting season.  It seemed a long way to drive for a hunt, but I was told that there were no similar places for hunting in upstate New York.

The hunters eventually left and I lazed in my vehicle for the rest of the afternoon and camped here overnight, being greatly tempted to photograph the creek and waterfalls, that I had explored the previous day, the next morning.

More on that later,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, September 21, 2020, Part 1

After breakfast this morning, I decided to drive on FSR 250 back towards Platoro Reservoir.  I found a convenient pull out and entered the forest on the south side of the roadway.  I wandered around in the forest shooting photographs in the mid-morning light.

Performance Bow. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/250s, f/16, ISO 200.

The curved trunk Aspen in the photograph above appeared to be bowing to acknowledge its fall performance.

Forest Light. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 22mm, 1/250s, f/16, ISO 200.

Forest are always good places to get a starburst effect through the trees, so I had to capture a few of these with the fall color.

Split. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 400.

This unfortunate Aspen shows damage from the violent storm that blew through here in early September.  Readers might also note many downed branches in some of my photographs in this area.

Quartet. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 200.

The tall, slender Aspen trunks always make good subjects.  It is not unusual to find a group of Aspens growing in a clump.

As I worked my way downhill from my parking place, I came out of this Aspen grove at a portion of the same road that had switched back below the hill.

Mountain Fall. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 125.

There is a road sign in the bottom left of this image, indicating that I was very near the junction of two forest service roads.

At the edge of the forested area I found a large “hump back” Aspen.

Deformed Aspen. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, 1/250s, f/16, ISO 200.

Rather than walk back up the hill to my vehicle, I decided to walk along the roadway.

Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 200.

Trees near the roadways are susceptible to having graffiti carved into them.

Tree of Declaration. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/80s, f/16, ISO 125.

The roadway made a great leading line, so I used that in a number of images as I worked my way back towards my vehicle.

Forest Road. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 14mm, 1/160s, f/16, ISO 125.

The rest of the story later,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, September 20, 2020, Part 5

After my trip into Del Norte, I returned to the Rio Grande National Forest via FSR 380, having still not settled upon a campsite for tonight.  I had noted a number of sites, but all were either occupied or otherwise not a good choice for tonight.

I had noted a place along FSR 380 that looked promising for late day photography, so I planned to stop there, since it looked like the timing would work for photographing there today.

I made a number of images at that location, shooting from the edge of the roadway, as the late day shadows moved across the meadow and up the mountainside.

Reclamation. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/10s, f/11, ISO 64.

The image above is the one that I liked best.  It took me a while to realize that the terraced landscape below the mountain peak is artificial and a result of reclamation of a mine site.

I thought about shooting from the roof rack on my vehicle to get a better view of the ponds, which reflected the scene behind them.  I rejected that idea, since it would involve not only awkwardly climbing up and down my access ladder with camera and tripod, but maybe having to move the vehicle multiple times to get the best perspective and having to repeat going up and down the ladder with my gear.  In hindsight, I wish I had taken the time to do that, since even the elevated view from my driver’s seat in the van gave a better view of the ponds.

After shooting here, it was getting late in the day and I really needed to find an overnight place to stay.  I continued along FSR 380, driving slowly due to the washboarded road.  I eventually ended up back at Stunner Campground, having found no other available place to camp.  The first pull through campsite and others were vacant, so I claimed the pull through site for tonight.

I had no plans for the next day.

Stay tuned for more,

Ken

 

Rio Grande National Forest, September 20, 2020, Part 2

I continued to work my way along Treasure Creek towards the first significant waterfall I had seen from a distance.

Cascading Creek, just below a waterfall.. iPhone photograph.
Wispy Waterfall. iPhone photograph.

After reaching the base of this waterfall, I retraced my steps a little to find a way to get above the falls.

Waterfall from above. iPhone photograph.

I then continued up the creek hoping to see an even bigger falls, stopping to photograph other scenes along the way.

Creek undercutting a tree. iPhone photograph.
Cascade and Mossy Rocks and Log. iPhone photograph.

I’m calling the many little waterfalls “cascades”, since I expect these to disappear, when the water in the creek is deeper and there are cascading rapids in their place.

Cascade and Mossy Rocks. iPhone photograph.
Cascade. iPhone photograph.

I made a number of  various compositions of some of the cascades as the sunlight changed with intermittent cloud cover.

Cascade. iPhone photograph.
Waterfalls. iPhone photograph.

A little farther up the stream from this cascade a second significant water fall is visible.

Small Waterfall. iPhone photograph.

Working my way upstream towards the second waterfall, I had to cross the stream first, making the image above looking down on the cascade shown in the previous images.

No Name Waterfall and Treasure Creek. iPhone photograph.

The photo above shows the steepness of the gulley in which this stream runs.

No Name Waterfall. iPhone photograph.

Getting closer to the base of the greater drop waterfall, it became apparent that the clutter around the falls and the beetle killed trees are going to be a distraction to deal with in getting a good photo here.

Creek Debris, after recent storm. iPhone photograph.

The fallen and splintered trees along and in the creek bed beneath the waterfall reveal the force of a recent heavy water flow here, which I’m sure was an aftermath of the early snow storm a few weeks ago.

No Name Waterfall. iPhone photograph. iPhone photograph.

In this final photograph of this waterfall, I excluded some of the clutter on the edges and at the bottom, but still have portions of the unattractive, beetle killed trees along the top edge.

This concludes this portion of today’s exploration, as I feel great disappointment that I will probably not get back here with my DSLR.

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, September 19, 2020

On Saturday, September 19, 2020 we photographed just off of a roadway not too far from Platoro Reservoir. I made a few shots with the reservoir and mountainside behind.  This one is my favorite:

Aspen, Platoro Reservoir and Mountain. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/400s, f/16, ISO 125.

It takes considerable thought making compositions within a forest.  Even though there is natural beauty all around, it is not as easy as one might think to make an interesting photograph with so much around that can be distracting or unappealing in an image and, after a while, one begins to think that the compositions are too common and repetitive.

Contrast. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/60s, f/16, ISO 100.

I found the contrast of the small evergreens among the tall, rugged Aspens interesting.

Fall Decor. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 800.
Fall Forest. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/400s, f/16, ISO 800.

And again I found boulders with fallen Aspen leaves decorating them in the forest.

Forest Boulders. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/16, ISO 100.
Aspens and Boulder. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/320s, f/11, ISO 800.

Near the roadway I found a number of Aspens that had started growing horizontally, maybe from some early life damage, but that had turned to grow upward toward the sky.

Directional Correction. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/160s, f/16, ISO 400.

As I later discovered, it was not unusual to find such curved shapes in the Aspen trunks.  I’m sure there must be a logical explanation for this unusual growth pattern.

I spotted a small shimmering Aspen tree that really stood out against the darker surroundings.  I included the small tree as a highlight in a wide angle image.  When reviewing that photograph, I decided to crop the image, making it more apparent that the small tree was the primary object of interest .

Shimmering Aspen. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/500s, f/11, ISO 400.

I made a few close up images of the yellow Aspen leaves late in the day.  I had brought only a wide angle lens on this shoot.  The wide angle close ups always include much more than I wanted in the images, so I cropped them during editing to pick out the portions that I was trying to capture.

Aspen Leaves. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/125s, f/4, ISO 400.
Aspen Leaves. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/320s, f/2.8, ISO 400.

It was late in the day and the sun was rapidly sinking in the sky, but I managed to get a few images with weak back light, then a few more with dispersed light. The three presented here are the ones that I like best.

Aspen Leaves. Nikon D850, Nikon 14-24mm @ 24mm, 1/640s, f/2.8, ISO 400.

More later,

Ken

Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado, September 18, 2020, Part 2

Continuing to drive farther along FSR 250, checking out the scenery and possible campsites, I pulled off the road, when I saw this view of a red top mountain.

A Red Top Mountain. iPhone photograph.

I made a mental note of this location, hoping to return here again, when I had more time to shoot with my DSLR.

Shortly after taking this photo, I came to Stunner Campground at the intersection of FSR 250 and FSR 380.  I was surprised to find that it was not only open, but free and no one else was there.

I pulled into the first campsite that just happened to be a  level, pull through site that would be perfect for my son and DIL’s small camper trailer.  This campsite came with a pair of hiking boots (image below).  I then staked out the next campsite just a bit more down the loop for my vehicle.

Abandoned or Forgotten Boots. iPhone photograph.

 

Stunner Campground Campsite. iPhone photograph.

Just up the hillside, on one side of my campsite, were tailings from an old mine or exploratory mine.

A few other campers began to arrive in the campground a little later with a few staying and a few driving on.

Since I had plenty of time before my son arrived, I did a lot of walking in and around the campground, scouting for potential photographic opportunities.

Stunner Campground, Rio Grande National Forest, Colorado. iPhone photograph.

There were many large rocks and boulders scattered around the campground.  The rocks usually had splotches of lichen growing on them in interesting patterns.

Lichen on Rock. iPhone photograph.
Lichen on Rock. iPhone photograph.
Lichen on Rock. iPhone photograph.

I worked my down towards the Alamosa River that ran beside the campground.

Mine Tailings and the Alamosa River at Stunner Campground. iPhone photograph.

The photo above was taken from atop mine tailings, looking down towards the river and across to a mountainside.  Notice that there are patches of good fall color, but most of the trees are still green or just showing signs of changing.

The beetle killed evergreen trees really spoil the scenery now all around the Rocky Mountains, but there are trees that either are resistant or maybe just not yet attacked by the beetles.

The soil in this area is mineral rich, resulting in an orange-red color in the water, staining the rocks and anything else in the water.  The water is acidic from the naturally occurring minerals and the mine tailing contribute even more to the natural elements in the water.

Mine Tailings above the Alamosa River. iPhone photograph.

There were numerous other indications of old mining operations around the campground and I even saw newish claim stakes in one location.

Stunner Campground View. iPhone photograph.

That little Aspen tree in the photo above really caught my eye, so I had to photograph it with a green evergreen tree as background.  I tried other compositions and close up views, but this one is most pleasing to me.

Mineral stained driftwood along the Alamosa River. iPhone photograph.
Alamosa River at Stunner Campground. iPhone photograph.

When my son arrived, he said the fall color in this area was the best he had seen on his trip from the Denver area and that there was much smoke from forest fires visible during most of the drive.  There seemed to be little, if any indication of smoke in this area.

We drove around a little after they arrived to decide where to go for a morning shoot the next day.

This is open range country, so there were cows wandering around the forest.  A small herd of cattle moved into the campground during the night, sleeping in the open, grassy meadow of the campground.

Early morning frost and curious cattle in Stunner Campground. iPhone photograph.

The darker spots in the grass of the photo above are places where the frost did not form, because an animal was laying there during the night.

Much more on this trip to follow,

Ken