Wildlife, landscape and weather photography
Another one of those beautiful, “This is Colorado” scenes that we oftentimes take for granted here. Sitting at St. Vrain State Park this past Saturday, I could see this balloon rising into the calm, cool morning air far off in the distance. It was initially too far away but eventually it drifted east allowing for a nice capture. Yeah, we live in a pretty cool place.
A couple of quick snaps from this past weekend of hot air balloons I spotted. Balloons are a common sight on calm days and it is easy to see why – who wouldn’t want to fly with the Rocky Mountains serving as a backdrop?
One image, taken Saturday, shows some thunderstorms brewing far off in the distance over the mountains. The second, taken on Sunday, shows a different balloon that seems to mimic the landscape behind.
A beautiful spring morning is the shadows of the mountains photographing wildlife and just enjoying being outdoors.
Sunday found me in my element but I did train my camera on a different flying “creature” than what I normally photograph. This beautiful balloon was among a half dozen taking advantage of the calm weather along the northern Front Range that morning.
Years ago I flew in a hot air balloon at the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta and if you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend going for a flight. It was an experience that still resounds with me today. The quiet aloft was just amazing.
From last Saturday’s photo outing. It was a very calm morning with beautiful weather and that meant the hot air balloons that oftentimes take flight from the Longmont area were in the air.
This one was lagging the others which gave me time to get to a good spot that allowed me to capture the colorful balloon as well as the mountains behind. Mount Meeker is the tall mountain to the right and behind it is Longs Peak.
It has been many years since I have flown in a balloon and I keep telling myself I need to do it again. Truly is an amazing experience if you have never done it.
Longtime residents of Colorado know that 303 is the original area code for the Centennial State. We have since added three more but 303 is still the one most folks prefer to have and most-associated with the state.
It is somewhat of a badge of honor to have a phone number with the original area code. Today, March 3rd – 3/03 – is a day set to celebrate all things Colorado.
No doubt some marketing person somewhere along the line put the numbers together and thought it was a cool idea to have #303Day. It is kind of silly but also fun and an opportunity to show the pride we have in our home state.
This capture dates back to October 2018 and is one of a series I took of this way cool hot air balloon as it floated aloft. I’ve shared some of those other images, but this is one I haven’t made public before.
With a fresh snow blanketing the Colorado Front Range and Rocky Mountains this morning, I am remembering back to this series of images taken almost exactly one year ago today.
My photo drive that day had been pretty much a dud and I was getting ready to head for home. I happened across this gorgeous hot air balloon floating along the plains with the snow-covered mountains behind. The design on the balloon was perfect for the scene – art imitating life as it were.
I have one of the images from that morning on my wall in my office now. You should too!
A shot I took a month ago but had neglected to share. I was near Longmont, Colorado when this balloon set up perfectly. In the background, Mount Meeker and Longs Peak. With recent weather and what is arriving today, those peaks will be coated in white and likely remain that way until spring.
On a whim, my wife and I headed south to Colorado Springs for their annual hot air balloon event.
Last night was the balloon glow and while the balloons don’t leave the ground, they put on a pretty cool show, especially when coupled with a gorgeous sunset.
Then, this morning, the balloons took flight not long after dawn. I took a ridiculous number of pictures and will share some more later but here is a batch of them.
The Centennial State’s flag flying high above the Rocky Mountains. One more from the series of this cool balloon that I captured this past week. It was an absolutely gorgeous fall day and the skies, my goodness, just crystal clear along the Front Range.
I posted a closer view earlier today so check it out if you missed it. I had the privilege of flying in a hot air balloon one time at the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta – such an amazing experience and I would highly recommend it. I’m trying to convince my wife we need to go but she is scared of heights and a bit unsure. 😉
Now THIS is Colorado. 😉 My photo drive Sunday was far less than fruitful but this scene helped make up for it.
I happened to see the famous Colorado balloon north of Denver set out in pursuit. I spent more than an hour capturing pics of it as it floated above with the snow-capped Rocky Mountains behind. The images are a great reminder of why I love the Centennial State so much.
One of the photos from the series is definitely going to end up on my office or home wall. It would look great on yours too – see here.
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