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

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

Bedrock, Colorado

The Bedrock Store at Bedrock, Colorado. 

It was the last day of February, and it felt time to take another long drive into the mountains of southwest Colorado. To them, between them, through them. Why not? (My usual excuse, as if I need one).

My first real stop (meaning for photos, rather than merely admiring the passing scenery) was Bedrock, Colorado. A tiny hamlet in the middle of nowhere, truly. Wide open high desert scenery. Snowy mountain ranges to the west and to the east. No services, not even a convenience store. Gas up your vehicle well beforehand.

Which is not a put-down, merely advice. I love these rural, clean air, wide open skies kind of places. As usual, the locals waved to me as our cars passed, even though they did not recognize me. I have experienced this many times in rural areas, where people look after each other, including strangers. Especially when the weather is bad.

Highway 90 west from Bedrock toward the La Sal Mountains in Utah.

But this was not a bad weather day. More like an early spring day. Warm in the sunlight, chilly in the shade.

At Bedrock, which is nothing more than a wide spot on the highway (and not even very wide) I once again photographed the Bedrock Store, that irresistibly historic building. Looking like an Old West general store. Several years ago when I first make my way through Bedrock, the store was open. It was fascinating inside. I bought a little something, then continued on my way.

The next time I passed through, the store was closed. With a sign saying the owner was experiencing health problems. And again the next time I was there.

But now I hear that it's open once again. Limited hours. As in: when whomever running it is there.

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

© Copyright 2018 Stephen J. Krieg

Icing On The Day: Coyote

Coyote, roadside hunting, Mesa Verde National Park.

One of the many privileges of working in a National Park is that you can more frequently see wildlife in a more natural state. As in: not being shot at.

I thought about this as I was driving back out of Mesa Verde again during the winter "offseason" (for tourists, that is).

Coyote watching from above for its next meal.

A coyote was walking down the edge of the road, coming toward me. I stopped well before I got close to it, so I could grab my camera, and turn its control dial to a setting that I had programmed for "wildlife" so that I could enable it quickly. (I get a little smarter every year). (But just a little).

Being in a National Park, the coyote was only marginally interested in me, or should I say my vehicle. It surely was keeping an eye on me. At least one corner of it, just out of instinct.

I think that it was walking down the shoulder of the road because it gave a better view of the terrain just below. Looking for food. Prey.

Which made me think about weak we humans are, despite our immense intellectual talents. Because that coyote essentially wore its home on its back. Thick warm fur. It knows where to find (to it) delicious, high calorie food. It knows where to curl up in a sheltered place in the fiercest of winter storms. When to sleep, when to go back to hunting for the next meal.

Thus it needs no job. No career. It has one. It is one.

Could you live out there without a whole lot of insulated clothing and supplies that you had paid for somewhere? How "free" are you, after all?

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

© Copyright Stephen J. Krieg

Icing On The Day: Bobcat

Sunrise on Point Lookout, at the entrance to Mesa Verde.

A February day at Mesa Verde National Park began with it now being light enough around 7am as for the sun to soon be crawling over the eastern horizon, lighting up the towering rampart of Point Lookout as I drove into the entrance of the park. The vertical cliffs of sandstone at the summit glowed with gold, while the more angled and brush covered lower slope turned rosy. And all the other slopes still in shadow provided a wonderful contrast of angles and tones.

Up onto the Mesa itself, and 20 miles in as I neared park headquarters, I saw that I had plenty of time for a swing around the Mesa Top loop road. To see how things looked now that the sun was much further north than it had been back at Winter Solstice. A nature photographer has to keep up on such things, you know.

Square Tower House cliff dwelling site in the soft shadows at sunrise.

At Square Tower House I parked and walked down the paved path to the overlook. The sunshine was just creeping over part of the rim of the canyon, but the alcove below with the remnants (lovingly stabilized by the National Park Service) of the prehistoric village lay in soft daylight illumination.

In late afternoon as I was driving "outbound" as the rangers call it (there's only one road into the park, and out) a bobcat Lynx rufus) was walking down the opposite edge of the road. This being a National Park with no hunting, it was much more relaxed than if it had been surprised by a vehicle pulling up behind it outside the park. 

And though I had my camera equipment beside me, it was zipped up in the case, and it did not have the long lens on.

This still being the serene offseason in the park, I stopped right in the road, put my warning flashers on, and watched the bobcat to see if it was going to bolt out of sight into the brush, or not. It didn't. So I hurriedly pulled out the camera and changed lenses, while the beautiful little predator walked up onto the brushy bank a little.

I didn't think I had time to change the camera to a much higher ISO speed, so I shot away with what it was set on. What the heck.

Blurred but beautiful bobcat shot.

Still no other cars approaching behind me, so I kept shooting. The first one here I like even though the shutter speed was slow enough to make for a blurred image. But it is of the small cat in full length stepping down the slope. It almost looks like a tiger in this shot.

Bobcat, over the shoulder pose.

Then it turned back up the slope and almost seemed to pose briefly. From this angle the patterns in its fur shows how well it can blend in with the brush.

Bobcat, hoping I'll drive on and leave it alone.

Then it looked to the other side, right at me. Between its momentary stillness, my resting my hand on the car window, and my camera's state of the art image stabilization technology, we had a win.

And I continued "outbound", down the hill to Cortez and home.

Photo Location: Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado, USA.

See more of my photography, and order prints at my website: www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright Stephen J. Krieg

Aspen Colors in First Snow

Orange, yellow and green aspen tree foliage in the first snow of the high country.

Photo location: San Juan National Forest, Colorado.

© Copyright Stephen J. Krieg

First Fall Weather at Mesa Verde

Rain curtain from the Navajo Canyon overlook, Mesa Verde.

Mid September, and I'm enjoying the first fall weather of the season, which looks like it's going to continue. Goodbye summertime heat at last?

I drove the Mesa Top Loop road first, just after the first hard rain in weeks had moved on.

Oak Tree House cliff dwelling, after the rain.

The overall lighting was poor, so I concentrated on eliminating the sky in most of my shots. I was interested in how the wet Cliff Dwelling Sandstone layer was showing off its dark streaks of desert varnish even more prominently.

Fire House cliff dwelling.

At Sun Temple's "Camera Point" I got a nicely saturated panorama of Cliff Palace.

Cliff Palace from across the canyon at Camera Point.

Inside the Cliff Palace alcove, the Ranger-led tour's visitors were enjoying being nice and dry.

Tour group at Cliff Palace.

The Mesa Top Loop completed, it was time to continue outbound from the southwest end of the Park.

Young wild turkey drinking from the rumble strip gouges in the road.

On the way to Far View, where the park's lodge is located, I came across the same hen (female) and youngster wild turkey pair that I'd seen on the way in that morning.

Being in a National Park where no hunting is allowed, they were quite casual. I watched them drink from the "rumble strip" depressions in the road's centerline, as I had seen other birds do. A convenient way for a quick drink of cool, clear water after the storm.

Mother and youngster wild turkeys.

Since there was only one poult (hatchling) with the mother hen on both sightings, I assumed that the rest of the young ones had been killed, probably picked off one by one by predators. Which is why each hen hatches a clutch of eggs, not just one.

Storm to the south, from Park Point.

At Park Point I made a panorama of the slowly clearing skies and the rain storm still underway down toward Shiprock, New Mexico. Then I shifted my view to the north for a nice wet view toward the Knife Edge cliff formation, with the La Plata Mountains in the distance.

Looking north toward the Knife Edge, from Park Point.

While at Park Point I made some shots of early fall colors in some Gambel Oak leaves. With the chilly nights in the forecast things should be changing quickly.

A few Gambel Oak (Quercus gambellii) early fall colors.

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) early fall colors.

As a closing touch, I photographed a lovely thunderhead cloud before continuing down from the North Rim and out of the park.

Thunderhead cloud from Park Point.

Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado.

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

Days So Much Shorter

Pinon Pine snag at Montezuma Valley Overlook.

It's August now. Late summer. It's been a spectacular one, too. Rain showers in the afternoon, keeping the land green. Minimizing the wildfire danger.

At this time of the year, the days (length of daylight) are getting shorter by about two minutes a day. Meaning an hour a month. As we slide out of the heat of summer into the glorious coolness of autumn, starting in September. It won't be long.
 
Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado.

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

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

Mesa Verde Summertime View

Navajo Canyon, Mesa Verde.

It's mid summer. Here comes late summer right around the corner. I try to enjoy all the seasons.

People are saying: "It's almost August! Where is the summer going?" It's going day by day, of course.

Soon it will be fall, my favorite time of year. But not yet. Here on the Colorado Plateau, it's monsoon thunderstorm season, the beautiful time when southern moisture collides with hot high country temperatures and boils over in the skies. When all manner of blues and whites and grays make for a mesmerizing palette above.

Navajo Canyon cliffs.

Up on Mesa Verde, I continue to watch things progress through the summer. The vegetation growing until it's once again time to settle in for the coming cold season.

Once again I look down upon Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America.

Cliff Place at Mesa Verde.

Meanwhile, in the parking lot, the Rabbitbrush are beginning to bloom. A butterfly is sufficiently distracted as to allow me to take some photos of it from a few feet away.

Butterfly on Rabbitbrush blooms, Cliff Palace parking lot.

Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado.

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

Mesa Verde Wildflowers: Fendlerbush

Fendlerbush blossoms, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado

The first day of June in Mesa Verde National Park. I stopped at the Far View pueblo sites for an early evening walk. Being on the mesa top, it's an easy walk, and it was a beautiful late afternoon.

Before long I came upon more Fendlerbush (Fendlera falcata (F. rupicola), which have been blooming for a while now. Still they are not done, at least not certain shrubs in the park. With the late afternoon light illuminating them from behind, they glowed even more. The deep shadows behind only served to make them stand out even more.

Their flower buds are pink, but as they open they turn a very pure white. The four petals make them an easy identify up here. 

Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado. See more of my photography at www.NaturalMoment.com.

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

Mesa Verde from Park Point

Looking south from Park Point, Mesa Verde National Park, Colorado.

Early May, and the spring season is well along. Not far from the Memorial Day weekend start to the real crush of visitors. A great time to explore the park before it gets hot and crowded.

I had been working at the Museum and was driving home. The past few days had been wet and cold. The warm weather residents that were visiting were miserable and complaining a bit. Hey, springtime in the Rockies....

But the cold front passed, and cumulus clouds were accenting the blue sky once again. As I drove north from the Museum on Chapin Mesa, I stopped at Park Point, highest knob of landscape within the park. It has 360 degree views all around.

 Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado.

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

Mesa Verde: North Rim April Evening

Mesa Verde's North Rim escarpment from the Geologic Overlook.

"Light forms the image" wrote legendary photographer Edward Weston (1886-1958). Meaning the quality of the light at the time. The type of light, and how it played off of the surfaces in the scene.

Our world is lit by our Sun. But it is our atmosphere that filters that sunlight in many ways. Clouds have much to do with it, by their absence or presence, and by what type of cloud it is.

View north across the Montezuma Valley, with the Knife Edge lit up.

On a recent April evening as I drove along the North Rim of Mesa Verde, I had the pleasure of watching the afternoon sunlight and clouds play across the scenery.

Hazy evening silhouettes from the North Rim of Mesa Verde, with Sleeping Ute Mountain in the distance.

It was hazy down in the Montezuma Valley, making the light separate ridges and peaks from near to far.

Dead tree like a statue at the Montezuma Valley Overlook, Mesa Verde.

Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado.

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

© Copyright 2017 Stephen J. Krieg

The Clouds Parted

Sunrise clouds clearing over the Mancos Valley

A March morning and Mesa Verde was locked in fog. Some fresh snow on the ground, but the road into the park was merely wet, not icy.

As I drove up the first set of switchbacks, I was thinking: no photos from any of the overlooks this morning. Not in this gray soup.

Then, as I approached the Mancos Valley Overlook, the clouds began to part. So I pulled in to the parking lot and walked quickly to the stone wall at the edge.

The fog was moving fast. Opening for a few moments, then closing, as the sun tried to burn through. Below was the Mancos Valley and the historic town of Mancos, on US 160.

Then the cloud slammed back shut. Fine with me, because I had to continue to the south end of the park to go to work.

After work I drove out the Mesa Top Loop road to enjoy a sunny evening. It's a great time of year to visit Mesa Verde National Park, even though it's too early for the ranger-led tours down to several of the major sites that had been occupied by the ancestral puebloan people until about 800 years ago. Crowds and traffic are still light, the weather is comfortable, and the leaves on the shrubs are coming out. Soon Mesa Verde (Spanish for "green table") will indeed be its greenest of the year.

Square Tower House, March evening.

 Photo location: Mesa Verde National Park, southwest Colorado.

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

© 2017 Stephen J. Krieg / Stephen Krieg Photographics.

Winter Closes In: San Juan Mountains

Trout Lake, Colorado, after the fall colors.

I was back at Lizard Head Pass in the San Juan Mountains of southwest Colorado. Early November, and although rain and high elevation snow were about, it was rather warm for way up there at that time of year.

Sheep Mountain was lost in the clouds. My favorite peak was hiding.

Trout Lake was not. She was glassy, free of wind in the afternoon overcast light. The aspen leaves, with their vibrant fall colors, were long down.  But the the yellow dead grasses and forbs of the meadows had their own subtle glow.

New snow on Vermilion Peak, from Trout Lake, Colorado.

I stopped to photograph the last dangling golden leaves of a willow. In the wetness of the drizzling rain their color was that much more saturated.

Willow leaves in early November: last of the fall colors.

A cold front was moving in. I would have loved to have been there. But where would I stay? As many times as I've camped up there, the long winter nights seem even longer to me. I retreated to lower elevations. Like home.

Photo location: San Juan Mountains, southwest Colorado.

Prints and photo products are available on my Fine Art America sales website:
http://stephen-krieg.pixels.com/

© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg

Southwest Colorado Fall Colors

Colorado Blue Spruce trees in aspen stand, September 24.

I stopped in at the Sunshine Campground not far south of Telluride, Colorado on the Uncompahgre National Forest. I wasn't camping, I was looking for new views of aspen fall colors.

Quaking Aspen leaves at peak color, southwest Colorado.

Aspen leaves against a dark green background of spruce trees makes them look like they are shimmering.

There had been a dusting of early snow on the highest peaks.

 Photo location: San Juan Mountain Range, southwest Colorado.


© Copyright 2016 Stephen J. Krieg