October Again

Fall Colors along Last Dollar Road.

October, the perfect month. The one I wait for all year.

And this year it seems even more sweet than usual. Because we've lived through an Exceptional drought (who knew there was a category beyond Extreme?) and now the fall rains have been falling and soaking in.

Aspen colors from the east end of Last Dollar Road.

It could have been a very dry autumn, too, but so far we're looking up at the rain falling.

Orange aspen colors, Last Dollar Road.

There is snow falling on the high peaks, but for the most part I can't see it yet; the clouds are keeping them secret for now. Soon enough. Hopefully for some photos of the remaining fall colors with the snowy peaks on the skyline.

Cottonwood colors, San Miguel River, Colorado.

See much more of my photography at www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Autumn Storm, Paradox Valley, Colorado

Above Paradox, Colorado on a stellar early October afternoon.

October 4 in the Paradox Valley, and a lot was happening. The first visible snows on the La Sal Mountains in Utah, which are only about a 30 minute drive from Paradox, Colorado. A rare morning rainbow. I was unable to photograph either, just to fleetingly enjoy them.

But by mid afternoon I was free to wander. From the hamlet of Paradox I drove up Highway 90, starting up the switchback curves. Partway up there is a very nice pullout, an excellent viewpoint.

The west end of Paradox Valley, with its 2,000 foot high red rock cliffs, was in sunlight and shadow, an early autumn thunderstorm hovering to the northeast over the Dolores and San Miguel Rivers.

Photo location: Paradox, west end of Montrose County, Colorado.

See much more of my photography on my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Colorado Fall Colors, South Fork San Miguel River

Looking down at the upper South Fork of the San Miguel River, October 1, 2018.

After a slow start the past few weeks due to warm temperatures, the fall colors in the high country of southwest Colorado have picked it up.

Highway 145 stormy day fall colors near Telluride, Colorado.

Some might call this "peak colors", but I don't. It's close, though. Still a lot of green aspen leaves mixed in with the yellow. And now we have rain pushing in from the south due to a hurricane turned tropical storm that made landfall on the Baja Peninsula. But it's relatively warm rain. So it will be interesting to see how things continue to play out for the rest of this week.

Photo location: Along Colorado Highway 145 south of Telluride, Colorado.

See much more of my photography on my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Fall Colors On The Uncompahgre Plateau

La Sal Mountains in Utah, from Colorado's Uncompahgre Plateau. 

This autumn of 2018 seems to be progressing well despite an exceptionally dry summer. Since this is only my first season living in this area of southwest Colorado it will be interesting to experience more years and compare them.

Aspen leaves backlit by afternoon sunlight.

I drove up onto the mighty Uncompahgre Plateau from Nucla, Colorado to see how things were going. And to visit a dying wildfire.

Glowing autumn aspen leaves against the dark greens of spruce trees.

The backbone road of the Uncompahgre is the Divide Road. Once I was onto it I headed west, toward the control lines of the Bull Draw Fire, still smoldering over 36,000 acres. Interestingly, despite the shorter days and much cooler nights the fire was still putting up visible smoke. Why? The falling aspen leaves. They quickly dry and give the ground fire paper-like fuel to advance, especially up steep forest slopes.

Remains of the Bull Draw Fire from over the ridge.

As I approached the northeast edge of the fire, the smoke was turning the forest road opaque. The firefighters were there on their patrol, watching for spot fires on the other side of the road, which was their major control line. I stopped to talk with one of them. Since I had once been a forester we could "talk turkey" about wildfire and control methods.

Fire Crew on the Divide Road containment line of the Bull Draw Fire.

The firefighters had used aerial ignition from a helicopter to "make black" just below the forest road. Meaning that by burning it in a controlled manner they could starve any uphill racing fire from having fuel to continue.

Smoke through the burned aspen forest, Bull Draw Fire.

I turned around to descend back down off the Plateau to Nucla. It was nearing sunset and the lowering sunlight was lovely.

The Bull Draw Fire had been caused naturally, by lightning. It had been allowed to burn because for about a hundred years the natural fires had been unnaturally suppressed, which has created today's firestorms in the West. But this fire had occurred in an exceptionally dry year, and it had gotten away. Way away. Very expensive to contain until late fall or winter weather finally puts it out. Managing our public resources is not easy.

Fall colors from the edge of the Uncompahgre Plateau. 

Photo location: Uncompahgre Plateau, Uncompahgre National Forest, southwest Colorado.

See much more of my photography at www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Down By The San Miguel River in May

The San Miguel River downstream from Naturita, Colorado, with muddy spring runoff from the high country.

The lower San Miguel River in Montrose County's West End is a cold high country stream running through red rock canyons of the high desert. It's a ribbon of green in a rocky and sandy land.

Growing leaves of Gambel Oak on the San Miguel floodplain. 

Between the town of Naturita ("little nature") and its confluence with the Dolores River, the San Miguel flows through both private and public land. The Nature Conservancy owns part of it, the Tabeguache (pronounced "tabba-shay" by the locals) Preserve, which it keeps open to the public on a day use basis.

The Nature Conservancy's Tabeguache Preserve on the lower San Miguel River.

"The San Miguel, a major tributary of the Colorado River, is one of the few remaining naturally functioning rivers in the West and is home to some of the best riparian (streamside) habitat in the upper Colorado basin." So says The Nature Conservancy on its interpretive signage along the river.

The Nature Conservancy has three preserves in the San Miguel River basin.

A particular spot I have been becoming familiar with is down a quiet dirt spur through the sagebrush  and oak brush to the river.

Claret-cup cactus beginning to bloom.

Some of the Claret-cup cactus, earliest of cacti bloomers, were opening their blossoms.

Blossom of one of the barrel cactus species near the San Miguel River.

So were some barrel cactus nearby.

The inconspicuous flowers of Gambel Oak.

The Gambel Oak ("oakbrush") flowers and leaves were expanding. Hopefully this year they won't get nailed by a late freeze, which prevented acorn production last year.

See more of my best photography on my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Spring Begins In The High Country

Lone Cone Peak, from the south in early May, 2018.

The re-emergence of plant growth happens last in the high country. We watch it move up from the lowest elevations to the highest. From the warmest to the coolest.

Early springtime in the mountains is what I call one of my two "in-between" seasons. Most of the beautiful snow is gone, but the green has not begun. It's mostly brown across the land, except for the conifer trees. It's in between.

Willow blossoms.

It's a very dry spring here in the Southwest. The snow has melted early, and so the plants respond accordingly.

Far below Lone Cone Peak, some of the Canada geese have their hatchlings on the edge of the lake for the first time.

Geese hatchlings on the lake.

On the San Juan National Forest I had lunch in a mountain meadow that was not long ago under snow. The flowers of the willows ("pussy willows") along the cold mountain stream glowed in the warm sunlight.

"Pussy willows" flower buds, San Juan National Forest. 

To the north, on the mighty Uncompahgre Plateau (Uncompahgre National Forest) I was disappointed to find out that I had already missed the peak blossoming of the Arrowleaf Balsamroot plants. Those earlybirds were extra early this year.

Arrowleaf Balsamroot blossoms, Uncompahgre National Forest.

I enjoyed their next in line successors of the early wildflower season. Oregon grape. Pasqueflower.

Pasqueflower.

At lower elevations, the Gambel oak trees were flowering and beginning to leaf out. I always love seeing them finally emerge because, tough as they are, they seem very cautious about whether the last freezes have passed. And even they get caught wrong, as happened last year.

Gambel Oak, emergence time.

From further above there were lovely sight lines across the top of the Uncompahgre Plateau and to the distant snowy San Juan Mountains peaks.

Early spring hues across the top of the Uncompahgre. Such subtle hues and intriguing patterns of the land.

I was tempted to drive the rest of the length of the Uncompahgre Plateau that afternoon. But it's a long though lovely way. Instead I turned around and descended the switchbacks back down to the San Miguel River.

Ponderosa pines, high mountain meadow, and the shining San Juan Mountains.

See more of my best photography on my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Goodbye Cortez: Moonset Over Sleeping Ute

Moonset and Sleeping Ute Mountain from upper McElmo Canyon.

Unbelievably I was moving out of Cortez, Colorado after only a year there. Things change. Not only a new job but a transfer to another portion of the western slope of the state. Another area to explore intimately.

Full Moon moonrise photography had been a washout for April. Clouds. The springtime moisture was appreciated, scant though it was.

The other side of moonrise is of course moonset. When you can watch it going down toward the western horizon while dawn approaches.

Thus I awoke in my home on the last morning there and realized that the previous night's clouds were gone, off to the east. That was the moon shining in my bedroom window, and it was about to get light.

I rolled out of bed and dressed like a clumsy fool. No time to waste. No coffee, breakfast, nothing. Just get in the car and get to a decent viewpoint. And quickly.

Driving south of Cortez toward Sleeping Ute Mountain, I turned down the canyon road. It was the very upper reach of McElmo Canyon, no time to search around much.

I pulled over at an opportune spot and made this photograph.

See more of my photography on my website at: www.NaturalMoment.com

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg