Midday Aspen Glow at Kebler Pass -- September 2019

A grove of aspen trees just beginning to show off brilliant fall colors in late September 2019. Even during the middle of the day, this was an easy picture to take; just walked into the forest, pointed the camera skyward, and click! This picture was taken after hiking the Three Lakes Trail off of Gunnison County Route 12 between Paonia and Crested Butte, CO, the road which summits Kebler Pass (well known for its spectacular autumn shows). My family and I were a bit early, as fall colors in 2019 were a bit delayed, and were still spotty on September 24th in this region. As can be seen below, many trees were more of an off-green than gold. This was particularly true of the groves lining the West Elk Mountains to the north of CR 12.

Autumn Harvest in the Loess Hills -- October 2019

In mid-October 2019, I took a day for hiking and photography at Waubonsie State Park in southwest Iowa and Brickyard Hill Conservation Area in northwest Missouri, as well as surrounding parts of the I-29 corridor near the Iowa/Missouri state line. Much of the fall foliage in the Missouri River floodplain (primarily cottonwood trees) and surrounding Loess Hills lining the Missouri River was peaking at this time. 

When driving from Lincoln to Waubonsie State Park in the morning, I noticed an assortment of hay bales on a farm off of Iowa State Route 2, just to the east of I-29. Thankfully, the weather cooperated later that day, such that the golden hour lighting on the recently harvested hay field, combined with foliage in the Loess Hills, made for a pleasant pastoral scene.

 

I'll probably include photos from other parts of this day trip in future posts.

Morning Snow in Sangre de Cristo Mountains -- June 2019

Later this month, I am planning a hiking trip to southern Colorado, one of my favorite areas in the United States. On a road trip last year (which this picture is from), one of my friends referred to southern Colorado and eastern Utah as (paraphrasing) 'very interestingly arranged foliage and rocks'. This is particularly true of the Great Sand Dunes and surrounding mountains and valley floor. This picture was taken on a crisp, early summer (June 2019) morning in Great Sand Dunes National Park, looking towards the surrounding Sangre de Cristo Mountains. A dusting of snow had fallen the night before, making the early morning sun shining on this peak even more spectacular.