After spending the better part of the post-dawn hours taking picture of massive wildlife yesterday, a healthy rain shower settled in at Brainard Lake. The sky alternated between sun and cloud but when the light shone through, it created this massive rainbow over the lake and in front of Mount Audubon. It was a gorgeous scene, one that is pretty typical in the Colorado high country.
Clearing storm reveals rugged high altitude peaks
Here is one I haven’t shared before. Taken on May 23, 2015 in Rocky Mountain National Park. If it looks cold, that is because it really was. Low clouds, remnants of a spring snowstorm, had obscured the view for most of the morning. Patience finally paid off and when the clouds parted the typically amazing views in Colorado’s high country were seen.
Flowers of gold on the Colorado plains
The sunflower fields east of Denver are in full bloom right now and looking gorgeous. I made a quick trip out there at sunrise this past weekend and came away disappointed in most of the pictures but managed to salvage a few of them.
This is how we do sunrises in Colorado
We do get some amazing sunrises in the Centennial State. Taken east of Denver International Airport? this morning. Just gorgeous!
Effects of mountain pine beetle epidemic clearly visible
I post this picture not due to any great photographic quality but simply to illustrate how some of our gorgeous mountain areas in Colorado have been affected by this little bug.
This mountainside, as you can see, has had at least 50% of its pine trees killed. For nearly 20 years, this insect has feasted on our trees, aided by dry and warm winters that failed to stem the tide.
The good news is that the things have pretty much eaten themselves out of habitat now and their numbers of declined significantly. However, the effects will linger for decades with sad scenes like this in the high country. ?
Suspended water droplets
I was heading outside to do some yard work one morning recently when something very bright and shiny caught my eye. Looking closer, I see water droplets from my sprinklers were suspended on spider webs woven in some landscaping rocks. With a quick glance, it almost looks like the droplets are suspended in mid-air. Kind of fun and something a bit different from what I normally focus my lens on.
Just another evening on the those ‘boring’ Colorado plains
Many will say the Great Plains lack excitement on the scenery front but I tend to think those naysayers just don’t spend enough time out there or look very hard. There is beauty to be found and you don’t have to look far or be out there long to find it.
Such was the case a week ago when yet another amazing sunset closed out a gorgeous day in Morgan County. The colors started out orange but soon red arrived and the further sun went down, the deeper blue the Centennial State’s skies became as night encroached.
Scenes like this are commonplace in the wide open spaces – you just have to open your eyes.
Red rocks and yellow lilies
Red rocks and yellow lilies. I stopped at this spot primarily to look for moose. While none were found, I did however discover why the location is called “Red Rock Lake.” In this natural lake, sitting the cold, mountain water and surrounded by lilies are these huge red rocks. They were undoubtedly deposited there thousands of years ago by geologic forces but seem kind of out of place. Nevertheless, it made for a very pretty, calming scene.
The stormy road ahead
Scud clouds from a severe thunderstorm in New Mexico loom ominously over a road in the high desert. Most folks wouldn’t think of the Land of Enchantment as a place to go to view severe weather. However the state does see impressive thunderstorms and the unique landscape provides for some very picturesque scenes.
We caught up to this storm not long after it dropped copious amounts of hail on Interstate 25. As it moved into less well-traveled areas, it became quite electrified and ominous.
Lightning illuminates a nocturnal beast
Severe thunderstorms can be intimidating enough during broad daylight. Let the sun set and the 75mph winds, tennis ball size hail, and tornado warnings can be downright scary for those in the storm’s path.
Normally you wouldn’t see much of the storm – or perhaps a brief glimpse. However in this case, the lightning was letting loose with multiple flashes per second. Enough in fact that in a 3 second exposure, virtually the entire structure of this massive supercell thunderstorm is seen.
Watching it was like staring at a strobe light and some of my fellow storm chasers even remarked that it made them feel disoriented. Notice how the storm absolutely dwarfs the grain elevator below. Taken near Springfield, Colorado on June 11, 2015.