June 14, 2013

The Alpine Loop Backcountry Byway, a network of four-wheel drive roads that connects Lake City, Ouray and Silverton, traverses passes up to 12,800 feet while showcasing  old mines, ghost towns, natural wonders, beautiful wildflower and abundant wildlife.  These roads were originally paths used by Native Americans crossing the region.  In the 1880s, these trails were widened and used to access mines.  Today was time to explore nature and history amidst thrilling views at breathtaking elevations.  We started in Lake City on Cinnamon Pass and headed back on Engineer Pass.

We were greeted with fields of wildflowers in the alpine tundra zone.  The alpine tundra has a short growing season.  This lovely meadow was near the Cinnamon Pass at 12,600 feet elevation.

This is a view from Engineer Pass Road as we are about to reach Engineer Pass at 12,800 feet elevation.

Here is a view from Engineer Pass Rd looking back towards Ouray.

Here is the required shot of the snow bank at the Engineer Pass.  A truly exciting ride that I cannot wait to do again and again.

June 13,2013

We traveled 12 miles of the historic Engineer Pass Road which was a major stagecoach and freight route when it was opened in the late 1870′s.  Like so many other mountain routes in the area, it was built by Otto Mears as a toll road.  Leaving from Lake City the road follows beautiful Henson Creek.

Capitol City is a ghost town found along this road.  It was founded in 1877 and had a population of 400.  It’s founders wanted it to become the capit0l of Colorado, hence the name.  Here are tw0 of the remaining log buildings along the trail.

A view of Sunshine Peak from Capitol City.  The chalet is for sale if anyone is interested.

We took a side trip to Nellie Creek and spotted this 2 tier waterfall in a large aspen grove.  Yes, died and gone to heaven.

June 11, 2013

We headed up Wager Gulch Trail to the ghost town of Carson.  The mining town was established in 1882 with an operating post office until 1903.  The ghost town is located at 11,500 feet elevation in a beautiful meadow surrounded by 14,000 ft mountains.  The town served the St. Jacobs Mine and others that produced gold, silver, lead, copper and zinc.  The few buildings that remain are only a tiny part of the town that, at one time, was large enough to straddle the Continental Divide.

A view of the ghost town as we approach:

the inside of the livery stable

one of the abandoned buildings that has been restored with a new roof and the jeep that brought us up to this amazing location:

May 28, 2013

Our drive from Durango to the historic old mining town of Animas Forks took in many amazing Colorado vistas.

Stopping at the Rt. 550 overpass, we watched the morning stream train chuffing it’s way out of the Animas Valley of Durango.  It was filled with tourist heading to Silverton.

This is a view from Molas Pass at 10,190 feet of elevation in the San Juan National Forest.  Molas Lake is in the background.

After leaving Silverton, we headed up scenic County Rd 2 to Animas Forks.  Along the was we followed the Animas River.  This old bridge shows the remains of a mining operation in these mountains.

The town of Animas Forks was founded in 1875.  By 1885, the summer population has reached 450.  Few people braved the harsh winters at this elevation since many of the mines where shut down.  The town weathered the boom and bust cycles of mining until the 1920′s when the price of metals fell worldwide and began it’s slow transformation into the ghost town we see today.

May 22, 2013

I had the pleasure to take a ride on a historic, coal-fired, steam-powered train through the backcountry wilderness of the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. It was an amazing journey with echoes of times past.

The 45 mile ride starts in the historic district of downtown Durango, Colorado.  This is the first trestle we cross on our ride though  beautiful forests, valleys, canyons and the well known highline.

After leaving the lush green valley of Durango, the train chugs into the vast forest of the the San Juan National Forest.  I am in the last open air gondola, hanging over the edge to shoot this image from the moving train as it rounds the bend.

The Denver & Rio Grande Railway arrived in Durango on August 5, 1881 and construction on the line began in the fall of that year.  By July of 1882 the tracks to Silverton were completed.  The line was constructed to haul silver and gold ore from the mountains, but passengers soon realized it was the view that was truly precious. Today the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad is designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

The train travels through some of the very best scenery that Colorado has to offer.  This is the Animas River as it flows to Durango at about 9,500 feet of elevation. It is running fast with the spring snow melt.

Another view as the train climbs and rounds a sharp corner following the contours of the mountain.

I took over a 1,000 shots on the ride up to Silverton and back to Durango.  If you ever get the chance to ride this great old train, don’t miss it.

May 9, 2013

Mesa Verde National Park is one of few places where one can travel back in time. It is an area where imagination can predominate the views.

Approaching the park, the first glimpse is of Point Lookout, the sandstone-capped shale promontory looming over the valley.

Natural fire has always been a part of the Mesa Verde story.  75% of the park area has been burned since it was formed in 1906.  Snags are a part of the landscape everywhere you look. This is a view into Montezuma Valley.

We spotted a few wild horses wandering the park.  We also watched a small herd of mule deer, a coyote and red-tailed hawk.

One of the many cliff dwelling is called Square Tower House.  It is a good example of how the native people took advantage of the natural topography to site their villages.

The view of Cliff Canyon is where the highest number of cliff dwelling can be found in the park.

In the area is the BLM managed Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.  This is a view of Lowry Pueblo which is a 1,000 year old Ancestral Puebloan village.

April 18, 2013

Moab offers an amazing array of jeep trails with all different difficulty levels.  On a very cold (warmed to 45 by noon) and windy morning, we drove the scenic Gemini Bridges trail and ended with the ride through Pucker Pass into Long Canyon.

A view of the Gemini Bridges from above the landmark. Notice the 2 hikers that gives this landscape some scale.

This is a view into Long Canyon as it runs toward the Colorado River in the distance.

After driving through Pucker Pass, we have to drive under a huge boulder that has been sliding down the canyon walls for many years.

April 13, 2013

We followed the Potash Road to the Schafer Trail in Canyonlands National Park today.  This is a wonderful jeep ride with amazing jaw-dropping scenery at every turn.

a desert scene near the potash evaporation ponds illustrates the beautiful light and colors of this area of Utah.

A view from Thelma and Louise Point, as the Colorado River continues to carve the canyons below.  Yes, this is where the final scene from the movie was filmed.  You can see Pyramid Peak and the snow-covered LaSal Mountains in the background.

the potash road as it passes below Dead Horse Point.

I was getting set up to click a pic of this beautiful spring flowering bush in Canyonlands when a Razor 4 wheeler sped past me at high speed.  Glad I was not in the road or it could have been very messy.

March 19, 2013

A beautiful day for a back country ride along the Outlaw Trail in Sedona.  An old corral in the shadow of the Red Rock Secret Mountain Wilderness frames the red rock landscape.

A short hike to the Honanki Indian Ruins revealed a glimpse of what like might have been like.  The Sinagua, ancestors of the Hopi, lived here from about AD1100 to 1300 preparing meals, raising their families, and making tools from stone, leather, and wood. Nearby they hunted for deer and rabbit, tended various crops, and gathered edible wild plants.

A stop for a look at the fabulous Sedona landscape near Boynton Canyon.

March 10, 2013

The Arizona Renaissance Festival was a fun and entertaining step back in time.

a flower selling working the crowd

Jousting

Serendipity from the Tynker Circus

the Scottish drummers