Misty – Ken's Photography and Travel Blog

Colorado Fall – Sep 2026 – Part 5

This is a continuation of fall photogrphy in Colorado’s Rio Grande National Forest in September 2026.

‘Emerging’ has a double meaning for this photo. The trees in the foreground are just beginging to show fall colors emerging from the green and those trees in the background are emerging from the early morning mist.

The campground I stayed in is free range country for cattle and for some reason these black cows liked to bump into and rub against my vehicle, which was startling in the dark of night, as I lay sleeping in that vehicle.

I can’t resist photographing these little mountain streams with their miniature waterfalls and cascades. There is also a big waterfall, that I discovered a few years ago, upstream from this location. I thought with the recent rains that there might be a good flow over those falls and wanted to go there; but it is a really steep climb, which is difficult enough when the ground is dry, but much more trecherous when wet. So even though I began that climb, I soon realized that maybe it was not worth the effort and risk, so I moved on down the road.

A pretty valley with a river meandering through it, as I meandered along a forest road, stopping occassionally to photograph such scenes.

These trees seem organized in size and color by regimented ranks along a mountainside.

This big rock in an Alpen grove gave me a new idea for a photographic theme: Forest Rocks with Fallen Fall Leaves.

And the lichen on the rocks adds more interest.

There will be more photos in this theme in upcoming blogs.

Thanks for following,

Ken

Colorado Fall – Sep 2026 – Part 4

More fall photography in the Rio Grande National Forest of Southern Colorado.

While there is not an official sign in place for visitors to a National Forest, people have a way of creating their own on the trunks of trees. It is common to find many such as that in this photo along side forest roadways.

I think Aspens may be the most photogenic of all forest trees. Even their bare trunks are attractive.

And even monochrome images in a colorful Aspen forest can be appealing.

I parked a little below Stunner Pass, walked back up the roadway to shoot a few scenic views from the roadway.

This talus slope is no obstacle for Aspens.

‘The Junction’ refers to the intersecting roads at the bottom of this photo, but I suppose that description can be extended to the mountains in the background, too.

More Colorado fall photos to come,

Ken

Colorado Fall – Sep 2026 – Part 2

This is a continuation of fall photography in the Rio Grande National Forest of southern Colorado in September 2026.

I made a number of images at this location, while walking around in the drizzling rain, along Forest Service Road 250, which follows the Conejos River for a long way in Rio Grande National Forest.

This was not the kind of weather I wanted, but I knew before I began this trip that there were significant chances of rain for each day here.

With the recent and continuing rains, the local streams were flowing again after a long dry spell and there is something irresistible about a mountain stream in every season.

Ok, time to move on down the road,

Ken

Badlands National Park, June 2025 – Part 8 – Rain Everywhere

This is a continuation of rainy day, iPhone photography in Badlands NP, South Dakota in June of 2025.

I made many other iPhone images this rainy day, but these are representative of all the scenes.

I knew I could not return to my favorite camping area, which would be too muddy to get into and out of, so I went to the more popular, and usually crowded, Buffalo Gap Grassland BLM camping area on the north side of the park, thinking it might be more easily ingressed and egressed.

My assessment was partially correct. Going up the slight incline to the camping area along the badlands drop-off was easy, as the roadway was mostly rocky with only a few mud holes. However the roadway, where the campsites are set aside was already rutted by many camper passing through and the road has a slight tilt towards the west and my vehicle was fishtailing as I eased along it in 4 wheel drive. The campsites are just off of the roadway and there was a real danger of vehicles sliding into campers parked along the roadway. Indeed, campers watched carefully, as any vehicle passed by. I always swung as far away from the campers as possible before passing. As soon as I found an empty, flat campsite, I pulled in and breathed a sigh of relief. This site was at the base of a hill and I, too, watched with trepidation as any vehicle came down that hillside.

The next morning, I considered going to other scenic places within a few hours drive from the Badlands, but the wet weather pattern covered a large area of the country. So I decided it best to cut this trip short and head for home.

So far my visits to the Badlands National Park have not worked out in the best way for my photography intent, even though the scenery is fantastic.

That’s it for this photo trip.

Thanks for following,

Ken

Hot Creek Geothermal Area, California – Part 2

After shooting from an elevated location here, my son and I drove to the parking lot at the official visitor area and hiked down the steep, icy path to the creek level.

There are signs posted at frequent intervals warning visitors of the scalding hot waters of the creek and to stay at least ten feet from the creek bank and from steam vents.

March 20, 2024 — Hot Creek Geothermal Area 5

At about this point and westward, Hot Creek is fed by snow melt before the water enters into the portion fed by hot springs. Anglers fish the waters here and to the west. I’m guessing the fish are smart enough to turn around before getting into the scalding hot water area.

As one of my Flickr contacts pointed out, the hot water was providing clouds for the otherwise clear sky this cold morning.

I stopped to photograph this lone, bent tree with the mist from the hot water behind it as I was hiking back up the trail to the parking lot. This image, which I almost neglected to even process, was chosen for Flickr’s Explore Page May 30, 2024.

That is all for this area. Until next time,

Ken

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Tag: Misty

Colorado Fall – Sep 2026 – Part 5

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Colorado Fall – Sep 2026 – Part 4

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Colorado Fall – Sep 2026 – Part 2

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Badlands National Park, June 2025 – Part 8 – Rain Everywhere

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Hot Creek Geothermal Area, California – Part 2

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