Along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park
Trail Ridge Road is the road through Rocky Mountains National Park. I had been looking forward to this drive since we started planning our vacation, perhaps even more than the idea of driving to the top of Pike’s Peak. Cresting at over 12,000 feet, you truly feel like you are at the top of the world.
Barn along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkAlong Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkAlong Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park
We spend parts of several days on Trail Ridge Road. I took a lot of photos during our drive, but for the most part the time was spent behind the wheel. I’ve posted a few shots that give a bit of the flavor for what it was like, but like a lot of places in the great outdoors, photos hardly do the scenery justice.
Along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkAlong Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkAlpine Visitor Center along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkAlong Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park
Parts of the road have no berm and no guardrail, and the consequences for distraction can be pretty dramatic. Kathy took quite a few photos through the windshield and I took a few with my phone, but they are mostly record shots and not really worthy of publication. I may try to post a gallery of phone photos from our trip at a later time.
Alpine Visitor Center along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkOn the Continental Divide at Milner Pass, Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkView of the Gore Range from Gore Range overlook in Rocky Mountains National ParkView of the Gore Range from Gore Range overlook in Rocky Mountains National Park
Well, I shipped off 20 pounds of used camera gear this past weekend, and plan to use the proceeds to form the cornerstone of the next collection of gear. After nearly 14 years of lugging around the Canon stuff I’ve decided it’s time to bite the bullet and try something smaller. The decision is not entirely straightforward or simple, as I tend to be a very loyal consumer, and there is still a lot to love about the full frame cameras. And while I’m hedging my bets by hanging on to a solid collection of full frame gear, I’m pretty sure I can predict what is going to happen.
Lynx Blue Line light rail at the Charlotte Convention CenterSelfie TimeParking GarageLegal Graffiti at the former Goodyear Service CenterWalkway between the Mint Museum of Art and the Duke Energy Center
Many readers of this blog know that I have been exploring this move for some time. Over the last several months I rented a Fuji X-T1 and an Olympus OM-D E-M1. Both are wonderful cameras and have their pluses and minuses, and I know people who are faithful to both brands.
Bechtler Museum of ArtBechtler Museum of ArtBechtler Museum of ArtBechtler Museum of ArtBicycles for RentBicycles for RentBicycles for Rent
I was pretty sure that my choice was going to be the Fuji, so over the 4th of July weekend I rented it again, this time trying both the 18-55 and the 18-135 lenses. I haven’t yet placed the order – the sale prices expired before I was ready – but once I’m ready to go I’m planning to buy the X-T1 with the 18-135. My rationale is that it will be an excellent travel lens for those times when I only want to take one camera and lens, and it will give me just about all of the coverage I could want. Eventually I’ll probably buy at least one or two of the “pro” lenses, and I really want to try some of the excellent Fuji prime lenses, so I’ll keep my options open.
Walkway between the Mint Museum of Art and the Duke Energy CenterPhoto Time!Mint Museum of Art and the Duke Energy CenterRomare Bearden ParkRomare Bearden ParkRomare Bearden Park
So while I continue to work on Colorado images, I wanted to process the Fuji files in order to evaluate them, and figured I might as well post a few. I know it’s possible to do with any camera, but I really like the fact that I can easily create a develop preset in Lightroom to quickly process a bunch of files. For the most part the results are very good with little fiddling. These have had a little bit of extra work done to them, but for the most part they are as shot with a Lightroom preset applied.
The EyeCharlotte Transportation CenterCharlotte Transportation CenterHuntersville Business ParkHuntersville Business ParkHuntersville Business ParkHuntersville Business Park
Moose along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, Colorado
In general I don’t have the inclination or patience to make “proper” photographs of animals. But knowing that we would be in an area known for wildlife, I wanted to be prepared. Most of these are snapped from alongside the road, in less-than-perfect lighting, but I got what I got. Not much to say, other than “enjoy!”
Moose along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, ColoradoMoose along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, ColoradoGolden Manteled Ground Squirrel at Farview Curve overlook on Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkElk along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, ColoradoMoose along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains Naitonal Park, ColoradoElk along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National Park, ColoradoSteller’s Jay at Bear Lake, Rocky Mountains National Park, ColoradoBighorn Sheep along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountains National ParkMarmot in Rocky Mountains National Park
The town of Grand Lake sits on the western end of Rocky Mountains National Park, and is the gateway to the park for those entering on the west side of the continental divide.
Grand Lake, ColoradoGrand Lake, Colorado
The lake known as Grand Lake is the largest natural lake in Colorado and lies at an elevation of 8367 feet. Grand Lake is known as the headwaters of the Colorado River.
Grand Lake, ColoradoGrand Lake, ColoradoGrand Lake, Colorado
We spent three nights in Grand Lake, and used it as a base for our forays into Rocky Mountains National Park. It has more of an “outdoorsy” feel than some of the other towns we visited, and we enjoyed it very much.
Where we stayed – Western Riviera Lodge, Grand Lake, ColoradoLunch menuBusiness OpportunityGrand Lake, Colorado
We were a little concerned when we found out that our motel didn’t have air conditioning. There are few places where we would want to not have it. But the first night we were there the temperature dipped into the 30s, so all we needed to do was keep the windows open!
NOT where we stayed – Grand Lake Lodge in Rocky Mountains National Park near Grand Lake, ColoradoView of Grand Lake from Grand Lake Lodge in Rocky Mountains National Park near Grand Lake, ColoradoGrand Lake Lodge in Rocky Mountains National Park near Grand Lake, ColoradoGrand Lake Lodge in Rocky Mountains National Park near Grand Lake, ColoradoGrand Lake Lodge in Rocky Mountains National Park near Grand Lake, Colorado
Our first view of Pikes Peak, at least where it was supposed to be!
Our plan for the first full day in Colorado was to drive to the top of Pike’s Peak. Unfortunately Mother Nature had other plans, and the mountain received about 8 inches of snow the night before our visit. It was interesting because it poured rain in Manitou Springs the previous afternoon, and when the skies cleared it was clear everywhere except the top of Pikes Peak, which was still shrouded in clouds.
Pikes Peak, Colorado
When we got to the entrance that morning the ranger warned us that the road was not open to the top and offered us the chance to change our minds But we were there and wanted to see what we could see, so decided to take our chances.
Our first real close look at Aspen trees, on the road to Pike’s Peak.We saw him, and even managed to get a photo!He was pretty shy and didn’t have a lot to say. We didn’t feed him.
The entrance part of the road is at an elevation of 7,800 feet – 1,000 feet above Mount Mitchell, the highest point in North Carolina! The lower part of the road is just like driving any mountain road – winding and steep in spots with a few nice viewpoints. Beautiful views, for sure!
I only wish this was our rental car!View from “Camera Point,” the first overlook on the road to Pike’s Peak
We spent some time at Crystal Reservoir Visitor Center at Mile 6, which is at 9,160 feet. That was our first view of where Pikes Peak was, although we couldn’t see it, as it was still buried in clouds. The ranger there said that the road had been opened a little farther up, but that they still didn’t know if they would be able to open it to the top. We decided to press on and take our chances.
Crystal Lake Reservoir, Pikes Peak, ColoradoCrystal Lake Reservoir, Pikes Peak, Colorado
The higher elevations are where things get interesting. There are very few places to pull off, and on the day we visited most of the pulloffs were socked in with clouds. We made it to the overlook at Mile 18 – known as Sheep Sign because there is a sign there about Bighorn Sheep – where they had the road blocked. The ranger there said it was still snowing above and not safe to drive, so that was as far as we could go. It was snowing on us as we talked to him!
Looking down on/from The Switchbacks. I got two shots like this before the clouds moved back in.
We had a little bit of vertigo and dizziness at the higher elevations. This is normal, and wasn’t helped by the fact that we couldn’t see anything to orient ourselves! This feeling subsided as we returned back below 10,000 feet, and we never had another problem with elevation the entire rest of the vacation. For that we were very thankful.
Setting up telemetry for the Pike’s Peak Hillclimb.
I did manage to get a few photos to document our visit. We’ll have to plan and visit again sometime when there is less of a chance of snow. We thought June was late enough, but maybe it will need to be July or August next time!
Serious snow removal equipment for some serious snow!
Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, Colorado
As I go through my images from our recent vacation to Colorado, I’m going to try and do short posts – mostly in order I hope – with a few photos from each of the places we visited. I’ll also try to add a little commentary along the way. Eventually these will all end up in a gallery on my website.
Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, ColoradoI have no idea who this woman is, but based on the conversation it sounds like she is a geologist or environmental scientist of some kind.My “Good Karma” moment – I took this photo then offered to take a photo of the whole group with their camera.
Our first night in Colorado was in Manitou Springs, just west of Colorado Springs. So from the Denver airport we headed south with the idea of seeing what we saw along the way. Garden of the Gods was on our list of places to visit, weather and time permitting.
Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, ColoradoGarden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, Colorado
As it turned out we had time, but we almost didn’t have the weather. It was threatening rain from the time we pulled into the parking lot, sprinkled a few times on the trails then really let go about the time we were leaving. Good timing! It would have been pretty toasty there if we didn’t have the clouds, and good photos might have been a little tougher to come by.
Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs, ColoradoPeople just can’t leave well enough alone.
I got some skeptical looks when I told people that while I was in Colorado I was looking forward to seeing a friend that I had met on the internet. It wasn’t quite that way but it usually got the reaction I was looking for! I’m like that sometimes. 😉
Somewhere in rural Colorado north of Fort Collins
Most of the readers of this blog already know Monte, and a few had already met him. But since I had already met Paul, Earl aka Brooks, and Paul Maxim, I couldn’t take a trip to Colorado without checking in with Monte.
County Road 94 somewhere in rural Colorado north of Fort Collins
When we planned the itinerary for this vacation I wanted to spend some time in Fort Collins, mostly to see Monte but also to visit the town itself. As it turns out, it is quite the booming place, with a vibrant downtown area known as Old Town, lots of breweries and some excellent restaurants.
Sunset along the Front Range of Colorado somewhere north of Fort Collins, Colorado
Monte came to meet us at our hotel the first night we were in town, we spent an hour or so chatting, and as I expected hit it off immediately. You kind of get a feeling for a person after sharing stories and photographs for as long as we have, but you never know. It was great! Kathy got into the act, too. We had a nice dinner and kept each other up well past our usual bedtimes.
Sunset along the Front Range of Colorado somewhere north of Fort Collins, Colorado
The second evening Monte acted as tour guide and took us to some of his favorite photographic locations. Many places I had seen from his photos, and a few that I had not. And mostly places I never would have gotten to – or back from – on my own!
Sunset along the Front Range of Colorado somewhere north of Fort Collins, Colorado
We met up again on our last evening, had another nice dinner and spent a lot more time chatting. Fortunately we were already packed for the return trip to Charlotte and didn’t figure we would get much sleep anyway!
Hmmm, what’s this button do???
Thank you Monte for an enjoyable time! You are a great host and guide, and we look forward to meeting up with you again sometime or somewhere soon!
Tom & Monte Stevens at Slyce Pizza in Fort Collins, Colorado
This guy was hanging out on the window outside our break room at work, and I couldn’t help but make a few portraits of him with my phone.
One or more of my expert readers will set me straight, but I think this is a Pipevine or Blue Swallowtail. I don’t see too many butterflies, but this guy was pretty interesting. I did a little Snapseed magic to clean up the background and juice the colors a bit.
I’m currently wading through my photos from our recent visit to Colorado. Stay tuned!
It’s hard to believe that it was two months ago, but in early April, Kathy & I took our latest excursion to eastern North Carolina along with our friends Bill & Cathy from Ohio. We visited our usual haunts of Belhaven and Washington, but also visited Edenton and Bailey. Here are a few photos from that trip, just for fun.
Random photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaGrain Mill in Bailey, North CarolinaRandom photos from Belhaven, North CarolinaRandom photos from Belhaven, North CarolinaRoanoke River Lighthouse in Edenton, NC.Roanoke River Lighthouse in Edenton, NC.Random photos from Edenton, North CarolinaRandom photos from Edenton, North CarolinaRandom photos from Edenton, North CarolinaRandom photos from Edenton, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North CarolinaRandom photos from Washington, North Carolina
Due to a “mishap” with my old phone, I found myself with a brand spanking new phone recently. I had been overdue for a replacement for nearly a year, and the technology had gotten a bit dated, considering that I run a lot of stuff on my phone that hadn’t been invented when I bought it.
Galaxy S6 photo, no processing
My old phone was a Samsung Galaxy S3. It was a pretty good phone, but had started to slow dramatically and was eating batteries like I eat cookies. The latest reviews were raving about the camera in the new Galaxy S6, so I decided to give it a try. I haven’t taken many photos with it yet, but I’ve been pretty impressed with the ones I’ve taken so far.
Galaxy S6 photo, no processing
I just may have changed my mind about using my phone as a camera. Or is it using my camera as a phone? I forget. More to come!
