Tony's Takes Photography

Wildlife, landscape and weather photography

Merry Christmas from Colorado!

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A beautiful scene on Christmas Eve in the Colorado Front Range foothills. (© Tony's Takes)
A beautiful scene on Christmas Eve in the Colorado Front Range foothills. (© Tony’s Takes)

A beautiful scene appropriately captured yesterday on Christmas Eve. The sun was lighting up the plains and farm beautifully. In the background, the snow covered Rocky Mountains with Mount Meeker dominating. Above that, clouds shrouded some of the mountaintops while a wave cloud was above. I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. May you and yours enjoy all of the blessings that our Lord was given unto us for on this day.

“Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.”
~ Luke 2:11

A beautiful fall sunrise on the farm

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A beautiful sunrise unfolds behind a barn on the Colorado plains. (© Tony's Takes)
A beautiful sunrise unfolds behind a barn on the Colorado plains. (© Tony’s Takes)

I have been visiting this local open space for years. The old farm was bought by the City of Thornton and it is now a nice little retreat in the middle of suburbia. I have always said I needed to photograph it at sunrise and this past Sunday I finally did.

As you can see, it was well worth it. Mother Nature put on a beautiful show in the sky and the changing of the seasons colored the trees and bushes in hues of yellow and orange. That barn looked pretty cool and the meandering creek just adds to the image.

Little barn, big mountains

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A bright, red barn stands on the lower elevations while behind, Mount Meeker and Longs Peak tower above. (© Tony’s Takes)
A bright, red barn stands on the lower elevations while behind, Mount Meeker and Longs Peak tower above. (© Tony’s Takes)

My photo excursion this past Sunday was delayed slightly when I came across this scene. I had a feeling it would be a good one but the sun wasn’t up far enough to light the landscape so I stopped and waited. Clearly it was worth it.

The bright, red barn lit up beautifully in the early morning sun. Behind and towering above it is the 13,911 foot high Mount Meeker and just behind it with its top slightly covered by a cloud, the impressive 14,259 foot Longs Peak. To the right of those, the smaller 13,281 foot tall Mount Lady Washington.

Snow and the water that comes from it is the life blood of Colorado in many ways and this year we have been fortunate with a healthy snowpack at altitude, something you can see on those peaks.

Bright red barn in the shadows of giants

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A farm lies in the shadows of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak in Boulder County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)
A farm lies in the shadows of Mount Meeker and Longs Peak in Boulder County, Colorado. (© Tony’s Takes)

I have driven by this spot dozens of times and I always say I should stop and take pictures. Sunday I finally did.

The sun was just starting to illuminate the landscape and really made the red barn pop. In the background, the snow-covered Mount Meeker and Longs Peak stood proud and looked beautiful.

The barn is actually part of the Boulder County Government’s Agricultural Heritage Center. You can learn more about it here.

Famous barn in the shadows of the Tetons

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It is tough to get an original shot of the oft-photographed barns on Mormon Row in Grand Teton National Park. Flickr says that this particular one is the most photographed barn in America and given the amazing landscape surrounding it, you can see why.

On the day I visited, I missed the best light of the morning and was too early for the evening but some dramatic skies helped liven (and soften) things up.

Built by T.A. Moulton in the early part of the 20th century, the barn is one of two and took Thomas Alma nearly 30 years to build. The area was settled in the late 1890s by Mormon homesteaders creating the community called Grovont.

The T.A. Moulton barn in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. (© Tony’s Takes)
The T.A. Moulton barn in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming. (© Tony’s Takes)

The Little Buckaroo Ranch Barn in Black and White

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A somewhat hidden gem in Rocky Mountain National Park and one which I visited for the first time this weekend. I never even knew the place existed until I saw a picture another photographer had posted recently and then knew I had to check it out.

Built in 1942, the barn lies in the shadows of the Never Summer Mountains in the park’s Kawuneeche Valley. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and one of the few barns left in Rocky Mountain as most others were removed to return the landscape to its natural state.

The ranch was last owned by Fred Dick who left it to his wife, Betty, when he died in 1992. The NPS tried to evict Mrs. Dick causing an uproar in the local community that garnered national media attention.

In 2006 Congress passed the “Betty Dick Residence Protection Act” which was then signed by President George W. Bush ensuring Mrs. Dick could remain for the rest of her life. Sadly she passed away in November of that year but did spend her last summer on the property.

The Little Buckaroo Ranch Barn in Colorado's Rocky Mountain National Park. (© Tony’s Takes)
The Little Buckaroo Ranch Barn in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. (© Tony’s Takes)

Barn on Mormon Row near Grand Teton National Park

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One of the Moulton Family barns in this historic location first settled in the late 19th century.  Pretty rugged country and the winters had to be absolutely brutal for early settlers.  Feel free to share.  (Read more here)

Scroll down for more scenic photos from Grand Teton National Park.

Remains of a Mormon settlement in Teton National Park. © Tony’s Takes
Remains of a Mormon settlement in Teton National Park. © Tony’s Takes