Contributions of the group The Beauty and Mystique of Colorado

Dolores River

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 15:16:12 +0000

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Where it crosses Colorado State Route 141. Looking downstream (north). (The inset shows an upstream view.) The river ultimately joins the Colorado about 10 miles upstream from Moab, Utah. The river's name is significantly shortened from the Spanish original, "El Río de Nuestra Señora de Dolores", River of Our Lady of Sorrows.

Disappointment Valley

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Sat, 19 Jun 2021 00:29:53 +0000

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And Colorado State Route 141. Looking southeasterly. The story behind the unpromising name is that a surveying party in the late 1800s was expecting to find water in the creek, and it was dry due to it being late summer. The insets show some views more to the left. The location is approximate. Disappointment Valley also contains a mustang refuge.

Needle Rock

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 20:20:40 +0000

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Near the little town of Crawford, Colorado. An eroded-out volcanic neck related to West Elk volcanism, ca. 28 million years ago. The inset shows another view, plus the BLM (Bureau of Land Management) informational sign. Nice that it's not going to be developed!

Vega Reservoir

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 02:03:19 +0000

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A small reservoir in the drainage of the upper Colorado River, built in the late 50s-early 60s for irrigation storage. At an elevation of ~8000 ft (~2440 m), it's higher than most such artificial lakes. It's popular locally for fishing, and is in a very pretty setting to the north of Grand Mesa, but it's hardly a Destination! I ended up there because my original destination off Grand Mesa was still completely snowed in due to the extraordinary snowfall in 2019. Vega Reservoir looked like an interesting place on the map--it is the centerpiece of a Colorado state park--so it became Plan B! Looking west; a monsoon thunderstorm is visible in the distance. Insets show some other views. The flooded bushes along the shoreline attest to the high water level.

Patriarchs

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 18:37:19 +0000

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A couple of bull elk (wapiti, Cervus canadensis) with their antlers in velvet, taking it easy. Telephoto view. In the headwaters of the Colorado River, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, off US 34. These guys were part of a small herd, all relaxing in this meadow. The insets show some other views. The North American elk was formerly considered to be a subspecies of the European red deer, but it's now considered a separate species based on DNA studies (which have rearranged so much traditional taxonomy!)

Mama moose & calf

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 18:37:55 +0000

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Alces alces. Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, in the headwaters of the Colorado River off US 34. Telephoto view. The inset shows mama with the calf off to the right, on his way over for lunch!

Trail Ridge Road

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Wed, 10 Jul 2019 18:06:30 +0000

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A.k.a. US 34, in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The road follows this ridge at an elevation of over 10K ft, topping out at Iceberg Pass (11,827 ft/ 3605 m) before dropping down to cross the Continental Divide at Milner Pass. We're obviously above timberline here, and signs exhort people to stay off the tundra (see left inset). Obviously the weather could have been better, but at least the cloud deck was high enough to give some views. I did get into a snow squall, however, a little farther down the road, and a few days before the summer solstice (see right inset)! As it was, the road had just opened--unusually late, as it's usually open for the Memorial Day weekend. In any case, it's a spectacular route, recommended if you're in the area.

Downtown Steamboat Springs, Colorado

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Wed, 27 Feb 2019 20:19:12 +0000

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Winter Trees - Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area; City of Fort Collins Natural Areas

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 04:52:11 +0000

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Dillon Reservoir

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Tue, 21 Aug 2018 19:58:58 +0000

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Just south of Interstate 70 in the Colorado Rockies, in an old mining area that's now a hotbed of high-end developments, summer homes, ski cabins, microbreweries, etc., etc. Several major ski resorts (Breckenridge, Arapahoe Basin, Copper Mountain, Keystone) are in the area. Looking southwest; the skylined peak is the north end of the Tenmile Range.
The reservoir is owned by the (City of) Denver Water Board and was constructed in the early 1960s. Much of the reservoir floor was acquired at no cost in lieu of back taxes(!) during the Depression. Water is diverted thru the 23.3 mile (37.5 km) Harold D. Roberts tunnel back under the Rocky Mountains, to the east side of the Continental Divide. So, water is being taken from the drier western side of the Rockies to supply the urban belt along the Front Range on the east side. The project would probably not be approved these days!
The left inset shows a different view of the reservoir, looking east. The right inset shows some silhouetted waterfowl, probably ducks, on the water.

Flowing Ice - Cathy Fromme Prairie Natural Area, City of Fort Collins Natural Areas

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Mon, 31 Dec 2018 21:52:06 +0000

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I noticed this scene in my rear-view mirror as I was driving by on the adjacent road. When I returned later in the day the coyote in the preceding photo caught my attention for a few minutes. I was particularly stuck by the blue hue of the ice on this small pond in the upper Fossil Creek drainage. View is to the northwest.

Gunnison River

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 19:48:29 +0000

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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado. Looking upstream, from off the trail to Exclamation Point(!--yes, that's the name!) This is on the canyon's north rim, which gets a _lot_ less usage as it's accessed only by a graded road. The canyon depth here is ca. 1600 ft (~490 m), if memory serves.

Columbine (Aquilegia saximontana) - White River National Forest: Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Sun, 17 Jun 2018 04:18:21 +0000

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My son noticed this early blooming example of the state flower of Colorado growing from a small crack in a lichen covered rock along the Maroon Snowmass Trail. We were returning from a hike up to Crater Lake and had just rejoined the main trail in the boulder field below the lake. At his point elevation is about 10,150 feet (3,094m). The view is down and to the west. In addition, photo was actually taken with my cell phone, a Kyocera Rise, camera Kyocera C6725 and then processed with Olympus Master 2.30W software.

There is some confusion as to which species of columbine is the official state flower of Colorado. While the "blue" columbine is considered to be the official flower of Colorado, the state code seems to identify the Aquilegia saximontana as the original state flower, to wit: "The white and lavender columbine is hereby made and declared to be the state flower of the state of Colorado." Every citizen has a duty to protect the species and any form of picking or gathering on public land is illegal.

Aquilegia saximontana can be found in sub-alpine and alpine areas at elevations of 10,000–13,100 feet (3,050-4,000m) in the Rocky Mountains. This species of columbine normally blooms in July and August. The blooms are lavender and white, and the entire plant reaches 2.0–9.8 inches (5-25cm) in height. This plant is endemic (native only) to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado, United States.

Lower Cascade Falls

nobody@ipernity.com (slgwv) — Tue, 03 Oct 2017 19:15:45 +0000

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Outside Ouray, Colorado. The inset shows a view from the side. Taken off the hiking trail from the Amphitheater Campground.

Lillian's Dream Home!

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Fri, 02 Jun 2017 23:58:33 +0000

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The title derives from a small worn sign hanging from the barbed wire fence out of the frame to the right. It also indicates that Lillian is or was 92 years of age at the time the sign was hung.

Submitted to the July, 2017 Contest Without Prize, theme "Derelict Structures" as entry #18.

Benches - SPC 11/2016 3rd place - Prairie Park

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 04:56:47 +0000

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THIRD PLACE PHOTO - November, 2016 Secret Photographer Contest; theme "Benches"; entry #29 with the previous title "Prairie Park".

Indian summer day in the Laura Smith Porter Plains Garden, one of the Gardens of the West, at the Denver Botanic Gardens. View is to the southwest.

Submitted to the November, 2016 Secret Photographer Contest (SPC) @ votingmachines.panoramiogames.com/entries-review-form.php?contest=SPC&all=Y&year=2016&month=11&from=C as entry #29.

Morning Mist - Fossil Creek Wetlands Natural Area; City of Fort Collins Natural Areas

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Sat, 03 Dec 2016 01:10:37 +0000

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Went out to take a sunrise photo on a foggy morning and found this scene more to my liking. The cottonwood tree at the right of the frame is in the bottoms of Fossil Creek which meanders through this meadow from right to left. You would think that I am out on the prairie in the middle of nowhere, but this landscape is in the Fossil Creek Wetlands Natural Area which is maintained by the City of Fort Collins. As such it is surrounded by suburbia, shrouded in the fog on the ridgeline just visible across the center of the frame, at the south end of the city. View is to the south with the sunrise at the left of the frame.

Submitted to the December, 2016 Contest Without Prize, theme "Tranquility" as entry #30 with the title just "Morning Mist". Also, previously posted in Panoramio @ www.panoramio.com/photo/113622577 with the title "Autumn Fog" and submitted to the 2014 November CFP contest @ groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/panoramio-romanian/ymt3EapQQys%5B51-75%5D as entry #20 and to the 2016 July TTT contest @ groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/panoramio-games-competitions/lyFK90SmTo0%5B1-25%5D as entry #93.

Water & Wood - White River National Forest

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Fri, 11 Nov 2016 19:49:42 +0000

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Taken on a sunny morning at Bogan Flats Campground on the Crystal River near Redstone, Colorado. Formerly titled just "Water & Wood".

Submitted to the October, 2016 Secret Photographer Contest, theme "Minimalism" as entry #41 with the title "Driftwood".

Moraine Park - Rocky Mountain National Park

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Tue, 22 Nov 2016 22:10:35 +0000

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This park (in Colorado park = valley) was formed ages ago by a glacier which has since melted away leaving a rock-littered grassy area of turf drained by the sparkling waters of Moraine Creek which meanders through the center of the frame. Beyond the ridge of the Moraine Lateral (composed of the rocky detritus pushed aside by the glacier) in the middle distance, the backdrop is formed by a series of peaks which are from left to right starting with the tallest: Longs Peak (14,259 feet or 4346m); Storm Peak (13,326 feet or 4062m); Half Mountain (11,482 feet or 3485m); McHenry's Peak (13,327 feet or 4063m); Thatchtop (12,668 feet or 3861m); Powell Peak (13,208 feet or 4026m); Taylor Peak (13,152 feet or 4009m); Hallett Peak (12,713 feet or 3875m); Flattop Mountain (12,324 feet or 3756m); and, finally Notchtop (12,129 feet or 3697m). View is to the SSW. For more information visit the Geologic Activity page at the National Park Service's Rocky Mountain National Park website: www.nps.gov/romo/learn/nature/geologicactivity.htm.

Previously posted on Panoramio @ www.panoramio.com/photo/120582119.

Cliff Palace - Mesa Verde National Park

nobody@ipernity.com (mg1744) — Mon, 24 Apr 2017 03:31:53 +0000

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Cliff Palace is the largest of the Ancestral Puebloan, also called Anasazi, structure located within Mesa Verde National Park. The Park is one of 23 UNESCO World Heritage Sites in United States and the only site in the State of Colorado. The structure itself is one of the largest of its kind in North America and the largest in Mesa Verde. The alcove it occupies is about 215 feet (65m) wide by about 90 feet (27m) deep and a maximum of 60 feet high (18m). Constructed largely between 1260 and 1280, it includes 150 rooms, 75 constructed open spaces, 21 ceremonial spaces or kivas and was inhabited by an estimated 100 -125 individuals. View is from the Cliff Palace overlook down and to the west towards the structure. For more information visit the Cliff Palace page at the National Park Service's Mesa Verde National Park website: www.nps.gov/meve/learn/historyculture/cd_cliff_palace.htm