Longs Peak Journal

International Snow Sculpture Festival

2012-02-09T19:40:00.003-07:00

International Snow Sculpture Festival

2012-02-08T18:37:00.002-07:00

We missed last year for obvious reasons..........But the Festival in Breckenridge returned with a Growl!

The light was flat, and we knew from experience that after dark would be spectacular........

Satellite Interference?

2012-02-07T18:04:00.005-07:00

Snomageddon presents many challenges.........including Satellite TV reception.

Cornice.....

2012-02-06T17:58:00.006-07:00

A house similar to ours developed an interesting cornice during the storm. Moments later it was gone......

Because Dogs Love Snow!

2012-02-05T17:57:00.002-07:00

The Snomageddon you've heard about on the news wasn't so bad. We just hunkered down and stayed home. Best way to deal with it.

Rough Legged Hawk

2012-01-30T11:31:00.000-07:00

Our Last Friend from HawkQuest:

Perigren Falcon

2012-01-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Perigren Falcon from HawkQuest:

Eurasian Eagle Owl

2012-01-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

More from the Colorado Indian Market, from the raptor educational group, HawkQuest.

Ehecatl #3

2012-01-25T21:53:00.000-07:00

Ehecatl #2

2012-01-24T21:48:00.002-07:00

For More Info On Ehecatl Click Here.

Colorado Indian Market

2012-01-23T09:58:00.001-07:00

The Ehecatl Aztec Dancers were the Highlight for us.

Orchid #5

2012-01-20T21:18:00.001-07:00

Orchid #4

2012-01-19T09:20:00.001-07:00

NO SOPA!

2012-01-18T00:01:00.004-07:00

Know Your Rights!

Orchid #3

2012-01-17T21:17:00.002-07:00

Orchid #2

2012-01-16T21:01:00.001-07:00

At the Denver Botanical Gardens

2012-01-15T21:03:00.000-07:00

We did photograph the orchid Festival. But many other interesting plants were also blooming in the Tropical Greenhouse. But we'll begin with some Orchids:

Orchids.........

2012-01-14T13:35:00.003-07:00

For more B and W Orchids click here.

Today we are going to the Botanical Gardens to photograph their Orchid Display. But a year ago these beautiful flowers were sent to me by a friend that owns The Santa Barbara Orchid Estate (yes a bit of promotion). Last year I had posted some color images of the same, but I like the B&W results better......

A Mystery

2012-01-03T09:32:00.003-07:00

I found an intriguing notice in one of my art lists: A Mystery Build Contest.

The Objective: You purchase a mystery build kit and have to create something using on the box contents according to the annual theme by September 2012. So I had to try it. Progress reports to come..........

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T00:01:00.008-07:00

Wishing you the very best for 2012, from Longs Peak Journal:

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-25T00:01:00.003-07:00

Peace on Earth, Goodwill Towards All!

Holiday Lights!

2011-12-23T19:23:00.000-07:00

One of my neighbors always 'Goes Big' with the Holiday Lights.

As for us, you are lucky to get interior decorations............Cindy decorates for other Holidays as well. I'll try to post some of those as the seasons go by.......

Lasts Only 24 Hours......

2011-12-22T21:09:00.000-07:00

Night Blooming Cereus

2011-12-21T21:09:00.000-07:00

By the evening it will be Open.......

Maize Maze #2

2011-12-05T21:07:00.001-07:00

Maize Maze #1

2011-12-03T20:50:00.000-07:00

I thought Donald had posted these, but apparently not.........

Kenosha Pass Fall

2011-12-01T20:52:00.001-07:00

Last Glimpse of Fall

2011-11-29T20:47:00.000-07:00

Now under snow, we look back this week at the final images from Fall.

Flying Saucers......

2011-11-27T21:20:00.006-07:00

It is easy to see how these lenticular clouds could be mistaken for UFO's at a distance......

New Banner Photos

2011-11-25T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've switched banner images from the last snow of the past spring to the fallow fields and first snow on the Peaks for the Fall (above).

And also changed the Banner on my other blog:

More First Snow.......

2011-10-27T13:59:00.009-06:00

Bare trees fared better......

And the perfect Christmas Tree

(A few months early)

First Snow: October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T13:45:00.002-06:00

We interrupt Fall to bring you our first snowfall of the Season below 7000ft:

Unfortunately when leaves are still on the trees you end up with a lot of tree damage................

And we say goodbye to summer activities.........no more tomatoes..........and no more grillin'

New Snow at Long Lake

2011-10-19T11:22:00.001-06:00

Went hiking again at Long Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Snowed on us the whole time. The ground was covered with a good 4-6 inches of fresh snow. I suspect that our after work hikes will be ending pretty soon with the onset of winter.

On the trail to Blue Lake

2011-10-18T13:48:00.000-06:00

On the trail to Blue Lake, overlooking Mitchell Lake to the east. Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.
It is really starting to get dark now, but the full moon provided enough light to get back to the trail head without needing to break out the headlamps.

Mitchell Lake

2011-10-17T11:46:00.003-06:00

Here's another angle up at Mitchell Lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado. We headed out after work so it was late and the light was starting to fade.

Mitchell Lake

2011-10-15T11:43:00.000-06:00

One day after the snow storm, up at Mitchell Lake in the Brainard Lake area of the Indian Peak's wilderness in Colorado

Pawnee Peak from Brainard Lake

2011-10-14T23:30:00.000-06:00

Last of the series. Pawnee Peak, from the shore of Brainard Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.

Autumn Mt. Audubon

2011-10-13T10:50:00.001-06:00

Mt. Audubon, Brainard Lake area, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.

A bridge over gentle waters

2011-10-12T10:46:00.000-06:00

Long Lake, Brainard Lake area, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.

Autumn at Brainard Lake

2011-10-11T13:43:00.001-06:00

An autumn dusting of snow along the shore of Brainard lake.

North shore of Brainard Lake, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado

Pawnee Peak

2011-10-10T10:35:00.002-06:00

Pawnee Peak, Brainard lake area, Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.

The first significant snow of the season measuring somewhere around 6 inches.

First snow in the front range

2011-10-09T22:32:00.003-06:00

East end of Long Lake, Brainard Lake area of the Indian Peaks Wilderness, Colorado.

The local foothills got about half a foot of snow over the weekend. The sun came out today, so we headed up there expecting that the roads would be closed, but instead found everything lightly covered in snow.

Sunset Reflection

2011-10-08T13:37:00.000-06:00

Here's a reflection on the same lake. The water was pretty still so you actually get a better range of color in the reflection than in the sky, which is over exposed.

Sunset over Red Rock Lake

2011-10-06T23:23:00.004-06:00

Here's a nice sunset over Red Rock Lake in the Indian Peaks wilderness, near Brainard Lake. Unfortunately there is a lot of noise in this image because it was very dark, and because I was hand holding it, I had to crank up the ISO to 3200.

Fall in the Colorado High Country

2011-10-06T08:31:00.004-06:00

Just past sunset over Isabelle lake in the Indian Peaks Wilderness of the Front Range of Colorado. Taken yesterday. Just a month ago there were still spring flowers around the lake. Last night everything had turned, and the temperature had dropped. Snow likely this weekend.

Last Stand

2011-10-03T13:19:00.001-06:00

Here, I like how the silver trunks connect the color with the earth tones.

Pattern and texture

2011-10-02T13:12:00.001-06:00

I love the pattern and texture of this shot provided by the combination of bare trees, yellow trees, and the evergreens in the foreground.

A little colorado fall color

2011-10-01T01:07:00.003-06:00

While purists argue that we have nothing that compares to the range of color you see in the East, its still a wonderful sight. The weather was perfect and the trees are producing a great show this year.

What I like about this one is the criss-cross of green among the golden yellow.

Strawberry Park Hot springs

2011-09-30T10:56:00.001-06:00

In our adventure to Steamboat, we discovered a place called Strawberry Park Hot springs. Its quite a place, with flower gardens, hobbit houses built into the rock faces, and wonderfully hot waters.

You can ready more about Strawberry Park Hot springs.

Gratuitous shots of Andy ... Kathleen is there too!

2011-09-29T10:53:00.000-06:00

Andy is not a good camper. He's a definite homebody. He was quite perturbed that we hadn't returned home to sleep and he decided to climb into Kathleen's lap to express his feelings.

Rabbit Ears Motel

2011-09-27T13:45:00.003-06:00

Another shot from our August trip to Steamboat Springs. The motel is named after a local rock feature called Rabbit Ears Pass.

Sign of the times

2011-09-26T10:36:00.003-06:00

This was taken in North Central Colorado. Most of the ranchers have rigs on their property. It just happened to be flaming while we drove by. Later, it wasn't burning. Colorado has seen an explosion in oil and natural gas development over the last decade. We've got large fracking projects happening on the Western slope. It came as a rude shock to many ranchers to discover that they don't own the mineral right on their property. Despite the pretty ads on TV, fracking has been surrounded by controversy due to the claims of damaged ground water. This is my favorite. Who says water can burn!

Flower in the forest

2011-09-25T22:49:00.002-06:00

One of the big surprises in hiking around Steamboat is the lushness of the forest floor. We found a micro climate with ferns and moss. The light was filtering through the trees when I shot this.

Dandelion

2011-09-25T22:29:00.003-06:00

This is one of a number of photos shot while visiting Steamboat Springs just last month. This was taken along the bike path through town along the Yampa river. My earlier attempts to capture one of these this sumer just hasn't worked out. I suspect its partly due to the lighting. This one has great detail.

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-11T07:28:00.000-06:00

Mt Bierstadt and the Saw Tooths

2011-08-25T23:20:00.005-06:00

From Guanella Pass

Colorado Skies

2011-08-24T23:17:00.001-06:00

Skies above Guanella Pass

Green Tomatoes

2011-08-23T22:52:00.001-06:00

I had intended to photograph these as they turned red....but sorry I ate them without thinking!

Along the Trail........

2011-08-22T22:50:00.001-06:00

More from Brainard Lake

2011-08-21T22:46:00.003-06:00

Still a fair amount of snow on the trails........

Long Lake Trail

On the road.......

2011-08-20T22:46:00.000-06:00

We're taking a little break, but I've left some posts to amuse you......

Favorite Places

2011-08-11T14:49:00.003-06:00

We all have spots that we revisit time and time again to photograph. Guanella Pass is one of those places for me. It has been closed for two years due to a landslide. I've already been there twice this year and plan a third trip before it closes for the winter.......

Monsoon........

2011-08-09T09:23:00.002-06:00

We've had much more rain than normal this summer. Usually the SW monsoon pattern misses us, but not in 2011. Lots of Angry Skies:

I like the moodiness of B&W.....taken from I-70 heading up to the mountains....

The End

2011-08-07T11:47:00.001-06:00

Storms Bring Rainbows

2011-08-06T11:49:00.001-06:00

We've had a lot of rainbows lately with the heavier than normal monsoons, and on que we had one at the concert.......

I darkened the image so you could see a hint of the second rainbow........

Sunset after the storm.......

2011-08-05T11:44:00.001-06:00

We had a nice sunset glow as the concert progressed after the storm........

I went to see Yes!

2011-08-04T11:40:00.001-06:00

I went to see YES, and memories of my childhood (real childhood, I was not yet a teenager when I started listening to them......

But Styx was the headliner. I also enjoyed them, I was a fan back in the day!

Yes I know it's blurred, but I liked the effect..........

Red Rocks First......

2011-08-03T11:28:00.000-06:00

Last week we attended our first Red Rocks Concert. We drove there in a storm, but fortunately the rain cleared; and the crowd gathered:

A bit of humor

2011-07-30T13:35:00.001-06:00

A vetran of the War of roses.

Trouble.

A message from the merchants.

Birds of Prey

2011-07-28T10:13:00.000-06:00

This booth was hosted by a local Birds of Prey rescue. I was still getting used to my portrait lens, so the images are a bit too soft due to too slow a shutter speed.

Pirates

2011-07-26T20:26:00.004-06:00

Along with the usual medieval theme you'd expect at a Ren Faire, there was a strong fantasy and pirate presence. At one point we ran into a recreation of the pirate ship crew from Pirates of the Caribbean. The costumes were incredible and they started singing a pirate's life for me....

Combat

2011-07-25T11:23:00.002-06:00

The live combat demonstrations looked pretty realistic. The look on the knight's face, in the last shot, seemed to show real concern.

Hanging out

2011-07-23T11:17:00.000-06:00

Endless people watching. A large portion of the attendees wore some sort of custume.

Jester

2011-07-22T17:14:00.000-06:00

I got two photos of this juggler/jester. Can't decide which one I like best. I like each for different reasons. There is something about her eyes that makes the shot.

Beasts - real and mythical

2011-07-21T23:03:00.007-06:00

My second installment from the Colorado Renaissance Faire - the many creatures in attendance.

Colorado Renaissance Festival

2011-07-18T15:51:00.007-06:00

Went to the Colorado Renaissance Festival this last weekend. Had no idea what a big production it was. Permanent structures, rides, animals, live music, belly dancers, and actors setting the mood.

Took lots of photos. Will post them over the coming week.

The 50mm Project

2011-07-14T19:50:00.000-06:00

Initiated some time ago, I finally have some results:

The rationale? Remember when you had your first 35mm camera, the lens that came with it was a normal lens. Usually 50mm, but sometimes 45mm. The Normal Lens for your camera (film or digital) is the focal length that most closely resembles the proportions that the eye sees. This will vary with format, e.g. for my medium format cameras (6X6 and 645) the Normal lens is 75-80mm.

In our rush to greatness, we often abandon the normal lens for zoom or wide angle. Read also this testimony to the normal lens. And if you are digital please chime in with your normal lens equivalents.

No Mosquitoes!

2011-07-10T09:59:00.001-06:00

Last year's Greeley Stampede was under a threat of West Nile Virus due to an over population of Mosquitoes. This Year they weren't taking any chances:

Flying!

2011-07-09T16:46:00.003-06:00

Hidden?

2011-07-08T15:44:00.010-06:00

Interesting Wall, or is there more to it?

Ah! Hidden Electrical Works!

Tradition!

2011-07-07T18:25:00.000-06:00

Traditional Fair Entertainment:

Who doesn't love a Merry-go-Round?

Ride'em Cowboy!

2011-07-06T16:40:00.001-06:00

Strolling............

2011-07-05T13:38:00.000-06:00

Strolling with a very good-natured Long Horn Ox after a day at the Stampede:

America's Birthday

2011-07-04T08:27:00.002-06:00

Happy 235th Birthday. Remember to Show the Colors!

Holiday Weekend at the Greeley Stampede

2011-07-03T20:27:00.003-06:00

It's America's Birthday and we celebrated at a concert last night in Greeley, Colorado:

Featuring the Blue Oyster Cult and Cheap Trick........................

The Greeley Stampede began in 1922, and is one of the Oldest ongoing Rodeo Events in the United States.

Watch Your Step at Mesa Arch!

2011-06-25T17:46:00.007-06:00

We 'discovered' a new arch at Canyonlands this year. Of course it had always been there, but we drove by in the past never giving it a thought.

But watch you step, because there is s shear drop on if you step through the Arch!

Don't Play with Matches!

2011-06-23T17:19:00.001-06:00

A Sad find on our recent trip to Moab. But first a view of happier days for the recently restored (2008) Dewey Bridge opened in 1916:

An unsupervised child playing with matches is all it takes to destroy our history!

I think B&W adds to the grim scene.

(Half of Bodie, California met a similar fate in the 1930's. At that time it was a totally intact 19th Century mining (ghost)town with a few remaining residents.)

Iron Fens

2011-06-21T08:10:00.003-06:00

Came across this sign for Iron Fens along Geneva Creek, near South Park in Colorado. Not having a clue as to what Iron Fens were, I took photos anyway. Turns out

Iron fens area a phenomenon unique to Colorado. There are eight iron fens documented in Colorado, and no other known occurrences in the world.

A fen is an area of peat-forming wetlands that receives nutrients usually from upslope mineral soils and groundwater movement. Fens differ from bogs in that bogs are acidic, not alkaline, and bogs are fed by rain water, while Fens are fed by ground water.

Moose

2011-06-20T10:08:00.000-06:00

Saw this Moose along Geneva Creek, near Guanella Pass, Colorado. The area has been turned into a bog by beaver dams, making it ideal habitat for this lone Moose.

Gardening Continues.......

2011-06-17T17:31:00.005-06:00

Trying something new this year, Potatoes. We'll see how well they grow in containers:

And here transplanted:

And Happy:

This Year's Crops

2011-06-15T17:27:00.003-06:00

Time to show how our 'urban farming' project is fairing. First, I've all but given up starting seeds in January in my Living Room. From now on I'll just buy plants from my organic farmers. They have hoop houses and can start in Jan-Feb. I want me living space back.

One easy 'crop' for beginners are the baby mixed grrens. Mine will be eady to eat in about another 10 days:

Dead Horse Point 5

2011-06-13T10:38:00.000-06:00

... more dead trees and red rocks.

Dead Horse Point 4

2011-06-12T09:35:00.000-06:00

Its pretty hard to take a bad picture up here. The mesa at Dead Horse Point is surrounded with incredible vistas and twisted ~~tortured~~ enhanced interrogationed trees for a sense of scale.

Slickrock and LaSals

2011-06-10T08:47:00.000-06:00

A pretty iconic image of the red slick rock combined with the snowy LaSal mountains. The contrast between the two, always strikes me.

Dead Horse Point 3

2011-06-09T10:33:00.001-06:00

Another realization of the Gooseneck along the Colorado river at Dead Horse Point taken later afternoon.

Mesa Arch

2011-06-08T09:08:00.000-06:00

This is the Mesa Arch, in Islands in the Sky district of Canyon lands. Typically its photographed at sunrise to capture the sun inside of the opening. Instead we've captured a wonderful view of the snow capped LaSal mountains.

Dead Horse Point 2

2011-06-07T11:31:00.001-06:00

A view slightly to the east of the previous one, catching the glow of the setting sun.

Dead Horse Point

2011-06-06T10:30:00.002-06:00

A famous view of the Gooseneck of the colorado river, looking south into Canyon Lands from Dead Horse Point, near sunset. That's the muddy Colorado river looping around the rock buttress. Once the sun dips below the horizon, the colors turn to pastels.

Recycle?

2011-06-05T14:42:00.001-06:00

Recently these cycle rental stations have appeared around town........

And I have seen a few people riding them......

Typically Boulder

2011-06-04T14:40:00.001-06:00