The waning gibbous moon setting over the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains. It was a beautiful morning Saturday along the Front Range. As I enjoyed my morning photo outing, I kept an eye on the moon, waiting for the change to get it as it descended in the west. It worked out well with the grasses of the plains in the foreground followed by the foothills then the snow-covered mountains. A pretty nice view for sure!
A closer look at one side of a sundog
A couple of weeks ago I shared a capture of a spectacular sundog that remained in the air for more than two hours. Since it was so long-lived, I was able to take a ton of shots of it from various locations and had the chance to try some different compositions. Here are three more looks at it, this time showing only one side of it. One is a closer look where the sundog met the horizon. The other two are just a couple of compositions I liked with the trees in the foreground. I still smile when I think about that morning and how much fun I had running around in the sub-zero temperatures.
Sunrise turns the sky and landscape red and orange, lights up Mount Meeker and Longs Peak
Holy moly what a view this was – and one where I initially thought I missed the show. As I headed to my photo destination Saturday, it became clear that sunrise was going to be a good one. Unfortunately, by the time I got off the highway and found a spot with a decent foreground, the show to the east was over. I was frustrated but as I turned around and looked west, I realized the best was right behind me. A layer of clouds was above and low clouds had descended on the mountain valleys in the distance. Mount Meeker stood proudly in the alpenglow with Longs Peak’s summit being lit up and coming out from behind Meeker’s shadow. Colored by sunrise, the entire scene was just amazing!
The frozen waters of the Arctic?
Well, maybe only Colorado. 😉
Driving home from work on Thursday I saw some crazy cool forms on the ice of a local water storage lake. Unfortunately, I didn’t have my drone with me at the time but made sure I did yesterday. Flying anywhere between 3 feet to 150 feet above the ice I captured some crazy cool abstract-ish image of the frozen waters. There are some crazy cool details to take in with all the different forms so view each full screen for the best view.
Gorgeous sunset wave cloud with the Mile High City and Pikes Peak in the distance
I had a feeling last night’s sunset could be a good one. A beautiful wave cloud was stretching across the Front Range and it just seemed like it would happen. Indeed, it did.
As the sun went below the horizon, the cloud lit up beautifully in oranges and reds. I put my drone up for a bird’s eye view and from 400 feet above, it had an expansive view.
This shot, looking roughly straight south of me, captures the skyscrapers of downtown Denver in the distance. Center in the image, the iconic 14,115-foot-high Pikes Peak sits prominently, even from 75 miles away.
Sundog lights up the sky on a bitterly cold morning
The thermometer on my truck was reading -11 degrees when this picture was taken. As much as it pained me to leave the warmth of my truck, I simply had to venture into the cold (multiple times) to capture this scene in the sky.
This sundog was the most persistent I have ever seen. I initially got pictures of it at 7:40am. My last one was at 9:46am. It would wane and sometimes disappear briefly but then reappear so I got tons of pics of it from different spots. This was my favorite as it was well-defined and the icy pond with steam coming off below provides some interest in the foreground.
Sun dogs are caused by the refraction of light by ice crystals and appear 22 degrees to each side of the sun. I have had a few chances to grab pics of one, always on the coldest of mornings.
Cool sunrise clouds and a sun pillar
My judgement of the sunrise to be on this day last weekend was clearly off or I would have ensured I was in a good position to capture it. Instead, I found myself with a sea of suburbia and its houses between the horizon and I. So, here you go, just the clouds, no McMansions as I cropped them out. ? It really was a pretty scene (sans the houses) with the sun pillar topping it off. Sun pillars most often appear at sunrise and sunset showing as a shaft of light emanating from the sun. Ice crystals falling reflect the sun’s rays creating the effect.
Honoring a former shipmate with a sailor’s sunrise
I schedule my pics for publishing ahead of time and yesterday I set this image to publish today, with a narrative about this veterans memorial and this replica of the USS Colorado (BB-45) that is its main feature. Not long after, I received news that has made me delete that and write a new narrative.
A friend, a fellow sailor, took his life after a battle with depression. While JR and I never served on the same ship, we had that special connection as sailors and veterans. I met him through his wife, Kim, a former soldier, as she and I worked to build a different veterans memorial not far from this one.
Like most sailors, he was a salty dog (yellow shirt!) and we of course hit it off instantly. I haven’t seen him in several years as they had moved to California but we stayed connected online, always wishing each other a happy Veterans Day and calling each other ‘shipmate.’
When I read the news last night, I just cried. This morning, I write this through tears. As I told Kim a bit ago, I am rarely at a loss for words but words are entirely inadequate in times like this. Perhaps it is appropriate, in some little way, that this is the image I had already chosen to share today. It is done so now in honor of him.
JR, I hope you have found the peace up there that you could not find here. You shall be missed. Fair winds and following seas, my friend and shipmate. ?
In the shadows of heroes for the holidays
I visit my dad at Fort Logan National Cemetery as often as I can but it is the one during the holidays which is the most special. My dad loved Christmas more than any other holiday and that is when I miss him the most. I have no doubt the friends and families of those interred here miss their loved ones similarly.
As I wander rows upon rows of headstones, I am sad for the missed Christmases and the many other moments in life with an empty spot at the table. Visiting this hallowed ground can be hard but it is also therapeutic for me.
I took many pictures when I visited this past week but this one is by far my favorite. The sun bursting from behind the tree helped cast shadows, shadows that maybe remind us that while they are at this spot now, their shadow and spirit goes far beyond and is with us, always, no matter where we go.
Miss you, Pa!
Top Shots 2023 – Landscapes
From the Great Plains to the rarified air of 14ers, I was priviledged over my past photo year to see some extraordinary sights. Here are my personal top 25 landscapes. I hope you enjoy the view – I know I did when I took them!