Hornsilver Mountain offers a spectacular, sweeping panorama of the rugged Gore Range.
 Gore Range Panorama
Its located directly west of Shrine Pass and at a similar elevation. A number of my photographer friends have recently posted gorgeous images from Shrine Pass, so I had a hunch that this location might be blooming as well. And at just over 3 hours from Denver, it made for a nice afternoon and evening exploration. The wildflowers were, indeed, spectacular.
McAllister Gulch Wildflowers
I spent several hours in the late afternoon photographing the wildflowers and scouting locations for a sunset image.
Indian Paintbrush Nestled in Blue Spruce
Dusky Deep Purple …

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Gila Cliff Dwellings – Cave 4 Tower and Steps
The Gila Cliff Dwellings were built by the people of the Mogollon (mo-go-yon) culture sometime around 1270 A.D. But it is believed that the dwellings were abandoned just 30 years later. There are many unanswered questions surrounding both the Mogollon people and their use of this site along the upper Gila River. More information on the history and culture of the site can be found at the official Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument site.
“The Gila” is the center of much lore in my family. Several generations of my father’s family have lived …

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I’ve added several new trip reports in the last week. These include short writings describing the location, a slideshow of images and usually a pre-recorded Google Earth tour. Check them out by clicking on the links below or visiting my Travelogues page…

Dominguez Canyons Wilderness, Colorado
Paradise Park – Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado
Slickhorn Canyon – Cedar Mesa, Utah

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I apologize for my posts jumping back and forth between Canyonlands and Slickhorn Canyon. I was inspired (in different ways) by both locations. So I keep returning to both image folders. And I’ve been processing images as they strike my fancy – the benefits of one’s own blog.

Here are a few more images from Slickhorn Canyon…

The site of the Slickhorn Kiva also has several well preserved and interestingly constructed granaries. This granary not only has a cool sloped roof, but was situated next to another structure which at one time was roofed with cedar timbers. The roof has …

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Slickhorn Canyon – Cedar Mesa, Utah ~ October 11 & 12, 2009
Slickhorn Kiva II
Location… Slickhorn Canyon is one of the many drainage systems carving through Cedar Mesa in Southeastern Utah. There are no established trails in Slickhorn. Footpaths fade in and out – sometimes easily to follow, sometimes requiring good route finding skills, scrambling, and canyoneering expertise. But for those willing to spend the time and effort, the rewards are virtually endless – beautiful canyon formations, hidden seasonal pools of water, glorious flora – trees, shrubs and wildflowers, wonderfully tenacious wildlife and sacred ancient ruins. This is a place that draws the heart of an explorer time and time …

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Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado ~ July 18-21, 2009
Location… Paradise Park lies in the remote Southwest corner of Rocky Mountain National Park in central Colorado. It is a designated Special Research Area, so there are no established trails and overnight camping is prohibited. Erik Stensland (website), a good friend and fellow photographer, worked diligently with the National Park Service to obtain special permits for an extended trip to photograph and document this pristine wilderness. And he graciously invited me to join him! We explored and photographed for 4 days with the agreement to share our experiences and images with the …

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Earlier this month I’d planned on spending a weekend backpacking at Willow Lakes, in the Eagles Nest Wilderness – a place that has been on my “must photograph” list for a long time. Unfortunately, I had to cancel/postpone that trip, yet again. I couldn’t get that location out of my mind and I just couldn’t bear to let it slip away, yet again, this summer. So yesterday I woke at 1:15am and drove to the trailhead and hit the trail. Roughly 5.5 miles of hiking in the dark landed me at the location shown below at just the right …

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I started my day very early this morning – waking at 2:15am and driving to the trailhead. I donned my pack and headlamp and left the trailhead just before 4:00am, headed for Lion Lake #1, approximately 6.5 miles into the beautiful Wild Basin area of Rocky Mountain National Park. This is a strenuous hike, and the trail was very wet with snowmelt and remnants of previous day’s rains, so I was pleased with my pace. I arrived at the lake shortly before 7:00am – too late for sunrise, but the light was still pretty nice as it worked its way …

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Those who know me, know I’m a big Google Earth fan. I use it for planning photo trips and so much more.
I’m still working on my Dominguez Canyons trip report, but I have worked through my GPS tracks from the trip and imported them to Google Earth. Take a look!
Dominguez Canyons Trip in Google Earth

(You will need Google Earth installed on your computer)

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I left the house at 4:00am, drove to Echo Lake and hiked up to the Goliath Natural Area on Mt. Evans to photograph the Bristlecone Pines at sunrise. I had great clouds, but unfortunately the wind was really howling. So many of my images (like the one below) have shaky limbs – nice but probably not gallery material.

But it was a nice hike and it was good to be out. I’ll post more images from this hike.
I also worked up a couple panoramic prints for a customer. This is something I really enjoy – not only seeing the final product, …

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