I had pretty much given up on shooting any fall colors this year. This is officially my last year teaching at Mt San Antonio College and I knew my schedule would probably be way too full during late September to make the trip back to Colorado.
But then this Delta variant thing showed up and suddenly one of my classes was cancelled and was replaced with an online class. Which meant that I was now only teaching 2 days a week. Suddenly, I had an open window of opportunity from Sept 22 - 28 to head back to Colorado after getting absolutely NOTHING from my trip last year. (I think I went 8 days straight without seeing a cloud.)
So on September 22, I jumped in the FJ after my last class and headed up the 15 and hung a right on the I-70. I was too late to make it for the sunrise on Sept 23, but I headed South into the San Juan Mountains. As I arrived, I noticed that there were some clouds that had begun to move up from the South and I was really hoping that they would stick around for sunset. As sunset drew near, I charged up a ridge to get above the treeline. As I arrived at the top, I began to hear some folks coming up behind me. After a few more minutes I was joined by Colorado photographer Nick Selway, his fiancee Sarah and another Colorado photographer, Joe Garza. It was only a short time later that it began to hail and then the sky opened up on us as we shot. Suddenly, the clouds broke to the West and sunlight poured in across the valley, creating a rainbow off to our left.
The difference from last year could not have been more dramatic. When I arrived last year, the skies were filled with hazy smoke and there was not a cloud in sight. This year, I found a rainbow at the top of the first ridge I climbed on my first day shooting! We shot in the rain for nearly an hour until the last of the good light had been snuffed out by the clouds, and then headed back down to the valley below. I am very grateful to Nick, Sarah and Joe for slowing up to wait for me on the way out. It was a long, slippery challenging hour back to the car.
I climbed that ridge twice that day and came back down both times a considerable distance from the FJ. I was exhausted by the time made it back the second time...but what a great start to my time shooting Autumn colors in the San Juan Mountains!
--------------
Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Instagram | Blog | Website | Facebook | 500px | Twitter
Tags: San Juan Mountains Colorado Autumn Sunset Thunderstorm Rainbow
© All Rights Reserved
My camera was actually facing the other way just before I shot this last month in the San Juan Mountains. The sun had just burst through the clouds and all of our attention was directed towards the peaks in front of us that were now getting snow. Just out of habit, I looked over my shoulder to see what was going on behind me. Sure enough, the sun was now lighting up the forest to the East and a beautiful glow was lighting up the many turrets scattered across the ridge. It was only there for a few seconds before disappearing as the next wave of showers rolled in. For me, it was yet another reminder to always keep looking over your shoulder.
--------------
Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Instagram | Blog | Website | Facebook | 500px | Twitter
Tags: Colorado San Juan Mountains Sunset Autumn
© All Rights Reserved
On August 28, 2022, I set off in my bad a$$ lifted Toyota Sienna (really hard to say that with a straight face) with the goal of driving to Denali National Park in Alaska and then to follow the Autumn colors all the way down to the San Juans in Southern Colorado. Some five weeks and 13,000 miles later I arrived in the San Juans after several adventures, not the least of which was arriving at the border crossing on my way to Dawson Creek in the Yukon only to find it closed for the season.
Of all of the adventures and scenes that I encountered across the many miles, my very last day turned out to be the most memorable. It began with driving out on a mesa shortly after sunrise just in time to catch a snow storm clearing over some of the most majestic mountains I had ever seen. They seemed to go on forever in all directions, the light was amazing, and I had all morning to shoot. It was exactly what I had hoped to be shooting on my third trip to shoot Fall colors in Colorado.
Later that evening, I bounced up an unpaved road in a bit of a hurry as I misjudged the time it would take get this location. I spent the next hour or so bushwacking my way up to this overview, the hike having been made more difficult by numerous fallen trees, a rain soaked hillside, and the remnants of a cow with a severe digestive problem. I finally emerged at the top of the ridge about 20 minutes before sunset, exhausted and bruised, but surprised that I was the only photographer there. (It would seem that all of the more sensible photographers knew not to try this trail after a heavy rain storm.)
I shot my butt off for about half an hour before starting back down...which turned out to be much more problematic than getting up. Between the cow mess and the steep, slimy, rain soaked semi-trail, it took me until well after dark to inch my way back to the road. Halfway down, a heavy mist moved in, making it more challenging to find my way...even with Gaia. Just after the mist moved in, I heard heavy crashing off to my left and my heart stopped. . Even though it wasn't a bear, it was DEFINITELY unnerving to turn around and see two enormous cow eyes gleaming at me out of the darkness. I picked up my pace after that and eventually made it back to the van.
Some 90 minutes later I stood in front of my bad a$$ minivan, soaked and cold and very relieved to be back on the road. I took out the key fob and pressed it. Nothing. For one horrible moment I thought maybe I had left the lights on and the battery must be completely drained. Remembering that most key fobs have a literal key in them, I found mine, opened the van and eventually got the van started by holding the key fob next to the start button.
I was just starting to relax...and then the lightning started. For the next 45 minutes, I drove through torrents of rain as lighting flashed and small streams appeared on the steep and narrow dirt road on the way down. Between the fog and the rain and the lighting and the wind and falling branches and the many hairpin turns on the deteriorating road...I really wasn't sure if I would make it off of that mountain.
45 minutes later, I was trying to tell all of this to my buddy Greg Boratyn back at the hotel. He muttered something about how much easier it would have been to send a drone up and pretty much get the same shot and went back to editing his photos.
And I just stared at him.
The pano that I posted above is comprised of bruises, fatigue, cow mess, and raw terror. Earlier that evening...when I reached the top completely alone after wanting to give up...breathing hard...taking it all in...the new snow on the peaks, the low cloud inversion under Turret Ridge to my left, the aspens glowing under the muted sunset to the West....it was just magical. Are there much easier ways to get a shot from that angle? Probably. But out of 13,000 miles and 5 weeks of shooting some of the most gorgeous country on this planet, that was my favorite night by far. Years from now, this will be one of my favorite shots...not for any technical reason. Every time I look at this photo, I'll remember what it cost to get up there, my moments alone on the top of that ridge, and the adventure I had on my way out.
Bruises, cow mess, fatigue, monster storms, alone on the ridge...
Magical.
--------------
Thank you so much for your views and comments! If you have specific questions or need to get in touch with me, please be sure to send me a message via flickr mail, or feel free to contact me via one of the following:
Youtube | Instagram | Blog | Website | Facebook | 500px | Twitter
Tags: Autumn Colorado San Juan Mountains Sunset
© All Rights Reserved