From the Great Plains and the Badlands to the height of the Rocky Mountains, my photo excursions have allowed me to view some stunning scenes. I hope you enjoy this peaceful look back at the natural beauty around us.
Setting moon over the plains

Somehow I hadn’t shared this one from a couple of weeks ago and it is definitely worthy.
It was a chilly morning on the Great Plains but a beautiful one. The landscape was enjoying the warming, golden light of the rising sun and to the west, a near full moon hovered over the Rocky Mountains. Below, bison graze peacefully and if you look close at that nearest tree, you will see two bald eagles enjoying the morning.
Ah yes, I do love Colorado.
Fantastic morning view on the Colorado plains

After what was an absolutely amazing sunrise, the clouds put on a gorgeous show to the northwest. Low to the horizon and well off in the distance, lenticular clouds hovered over the terrain. High and closer the clouds were no less impressive. That big one in the middle reminds me of a blimp. Underneath it all was of course those gorgeous Rocky Mountains.
Two out of three ain’t bad

The song, “Home on the Range,” says “Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam, Where the deer and the antelope play…”
In this image, I managed to get the bison and the deer – but no pronghorn unfortunately. I did however also capture the gorgeous alpenglow at #sunrise as it lit up the snow-capped Rocky Mountains.
Taken yesterday morning, scenes like this remind me why I am so privileged to live in Colorado.
Video: Top Shots 2019 – Alaska
By far my ‘photo excursion of the year’. We headed north to our nation’s 49th state and spent two weeks exploring this amazing place.
The sheer size of Alaska and our desire to not rush through things meant we limited our travels but that didn’t limit the photographic opportunities. We focused on three main areas: Denali National Park, Seward with Kenai Fjords National Park and Homer with Katmai National Park and Preserve.
Through them all, the scenery was stunning, the wildlife just amazing. It was the trip of a lifetime and one I will treasure forever. Here is a look at my favorite pics from our trip to the northern frontier.
Lonely tree in the fog

A very persistent, thick fog fell over the Colorado Front Range this morning. If a photo subject wasn’t close to the road, there was no hope in getting pics of it and even then, it made shooting tough. This tree stood out alone against the mist. A conversion to black and white gave it kind of a cool feel.
A beautiful morning on the Colorado plains

For those of you that live here, you know this image was clearly not taken today. 😉
We got hit with our first snowfall of the season so this season would be considerably whiter right now. This was taken this past Sunday and what was a very mild day.
The sunrise didn’t amount to anything notable but the skies afterward were beautiful and we had a nice view all the way to those Rocky Mountains.
Fire and ice on the Colorado plains
Air temperatures just below freezing, wind chills near zero. Not a particularly hospitable morning when I captured this scene a couple of weeks ago. However, it was absolutely gorgeous and I relished standing there and watching the sun rise over the frozen lake. Average temperatures here are starting to warm up and that ice will gradually begin receding. In another month or so it should be relatively ice-free and then it becomes a haven for a wide variety of birds.

A golden landscape with blue Colorado skies
Sunset at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge painted the landscape with a golden hue on this winter evening. Coupled with the typical, gorgeous blue Colorado skies, the image is warm and inviting.
Photo © Tony’s Takes. Image is available for purchase as a print or for digital use. Please don’t steal, my prices aren’t particularly expensive. For more information contact me here.