Fall in Colorado

Engineer Peak

Engineer Peak resides over layers of trees in the Fall of 2015.

Fire and Ice

The fall colors and freshly fallen snow was so special. Around every turn of the road was another amazing scene to explore.

Snow and Fog

Low hanging clouds, freshly fallen snow and majestic peaks of Colorado's San Juan Mountains. This color photograph is almost monochrome and flies in the face of the fact it was peak Fall color in the area.

Yellow Flame

A couple different species of aspen go off at the same time.

Roadside Chapel

I got stuck in a couple construction stops during my time south of Ouray on the Million Dollar Highway in southwestern Colorado. I never did make it up to Yankee Boy Basin like I wanted to due to road closures. This photograph was quickly taken on a construction stop where I was moving in between the stops. I had to take at least one decent shot down the valley and paused to squeeze off a couple frames. The elevated view and bend in the road provided my only opportunity to capture this visual rapture. The people waiting on the other side didn't seem to mind the extra delay, thankfully. It was hard to be in a hurry. Church was in session.

Yellow Hillsides

Lingering storm clouds and aspen at peak color during the Fall of 2015 north of Durango, Colorado.

Salt and Pepper

A contrast in tone and texture.

Haviland Lake Forest

Ponderosa Forest surrounds Haviland Lake in southwestern Colorado.

Colorado Hillside Fire

The slopes of the San Juan Mountains showcase a mix of pine and aspen.

Fall on Haviland Lake

Yellow Aspen line the slopes opposite Haviland Lake in the San Juan Mountains of southern Colorado

Orange Fog

Low clouds hover above a riot of fall color in the San Juan Mountains of southwestern Colorado. October 2015.

Weather Warrior

A pine stands alone against the world.

Colorado Forest Access Road

The problem with roads is not having the time to take every one of them. This is just off the highway with fog rising off the blacktop. A road like this provides access to the forests, basins and mountaintops.

A Mixed Couple

Aspen and pine trees intermingle in the San Juan mountains.

San Juan Aspen

Aspen during the fall in the San Juan Mountains.

Black Stripe

Snow was still clinging to the trees on the north side of this slope while the clouds continued to hang low over the mountains. The side canyon I stopped at was a perfect vantage point to shoot back across the valley at all this monochrome goodness. The only part of this image that appears to be in color is the right-hand corner.

Aspen Ridge

A narrow line of aspen show off their fall color on a ridge in the San Juan Mountains. The drive along highway 550 provided lots of opportunities for unique compositions. So did the ever changing weather.

Fog Orb

Designs in the fog hover over the trees of the San Juan Forest. It was no hardship sitting at the construction stop while this was going on nearby.

Lone Aspen

The striking beauty of the aspen.

Snow Falling in Corkscrew Gulch

It started to snow at the end of the day while I was sitting in camp under my tarp. Light at first, it wasn't long before the snow was thick and wet and weighing down my tarp. I conceded to the conditions, crawled into the back of the truck and called it a night.

Corkscrew Gulch

There was a small pullout on the way up the mountain on the Corkscrew Gulch road. It was my first real 4x4 road in Colorado and very exciting to drive. It wasn't a very technical road, but plenty steep. The views were worth every effort to get there.

Lunch Stop

This was an early lunch stop in Corkscrew Gulch on our way up the mountain. It was a steep road, but not very rough at all. The road was a network of roads that would have led back to Silverton had I stayed on it. The dogs and I stopped in the high basin to camp and woke up the next morning to a couple inches of fresh snow.

Dark Pines and Sunlit Peaks

The quality of light in the mountains is ever changing and a pleasure to experience. Things happen fast and are as fast to go away too.