New - Colorado Autumn 2009

I drove 2,200 miles through Colorado during the last week in September, starting north of I-70 (Winter Park - Kremmling - Gore Pass - Dunckley Pass) and then heading south over Tennessee Pass through Leadville, over Weston Pass to Fairplay; south to Buena Vista, over Independence Pass and through Aspen to Carbondale, south over McClure Pass and Kebler Pass, through Crested Butte and Gunnison, over Owl Creek Pass and all around the Ridgway - Ouray area for several days, and then back over Independence Pass, Leadville, and on to Denver.

Throughout the northern and eastern parts of my drive, the aspens that had turned appeared to go straight to a dull brown. The aspens that were green also didn't look healthy - rather than having vigorous, bright leaves, they looked limp and dull - almost as if they had a film of dust on them. When I examined individual leaves, they had numerous black spots on them (both the green ones and the "yellow" ones.) I'm not sure if it was just a bad year in that area, or if I was seeing the first stages of Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD). I suspect the latter, unfortunately, although I'm not able to find much information about it. It seems nobody really knows exactly what's causing it.

Only the southern and central portions of my trip -- around Ridgway and the Gunnison / Crested Butte / Aspen area -- appeared largely healthy. Even here, there were large areas of blighted aspens. The majority of the aspens around McClure Pass were affected, for example.

This, along with the acres and acres of evergreens that had died of pine beetle infestations along the I-70 corridor and north, made for some sobering scenes of destruction.

Nevertheless, a crappy day outdoors is better than a great day in the office! And the stars were simply beyond belief up on Owl Creek Pass, 10,000 feet in the air and 90 miles from a city of any size. And I did find a few nice aspens. And the cottonwoods were beautiful. And the weather was nice. And there was no traffic. And... yep, I have no complaints!

Colorado, Autumn 2009
I drove 2,200 miles through Colorado during the last week in September, starting north of I-70 (Winter Park - Kremmling - Gore Pass - Dunckley Pass) and then heading south over Tennessee Pass through Leadville, over Weston Pass to Fairplay; south to Buena Vista, over Independence Pass and through Aspen to Carbondale, south over McClure Pass and Kebler Pass, through Crested Butte and Gunnison, over Owl Creek Pass and all around the Ridgway - Ouray area for several days, and then back over Independence Pass, Leadville, and on to Denver. Throughout the northern and eastern parts of my drive, the aspens that had turned appeared to go straight to a dull brown. The aspens that were green also didn't look healthy - rather than having vigorous, bright leaves, they looked limp and dull - almost as if they had a film of dust on them. When I examined individual leaves, they had numerous black spots on them (both the green ones and the "yellow" ones.) I'm not sure if it was just a bad year in that area, or if I was seeing the first stages of Sudden Aspen Decline (SAD). I suspect the latter, unfortunately, although I'm not able to find much information about it. It seems nobody really knows exactly what's causing it. Only the southern and central portions of my trip -- around Ridgway and the Gunnison / Crested Butte / Aspen area -- appeared largely healthy. Even here, there were large areas of blighted aspens. The majority of the aspens around McClure Pass were affected, for example. This, along with the acres and acres of evergreens that had died of pine beetle infestations along the I-70 corridor and north, made for some sobering scenes of destruction. Nevertheless, a crappy day outdoors is better than a great day in the office! And the stars were simply beyond belief up on Owl Creek Pass, 10,000 feet in the air and 90 miles from a city of any size. And I did find a few nice aspens. And the cottonwoods were beautiful. And the weather was nice. And there was no traffic. And... yep, I have no complaints!
	Pastures on the Ohio Pass road. The sun came out briefly and lit up this scene. Canon EOS 5D, 50mm f/1.8 lens.

	Early and Late Aspen, on the Ohio Pass Road. I was struck by the contrast between the aspens that were already bare and the ones that were still golden. When the sun momentarily enhanced the contrast by lighting the golden trees, I took this image. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	The Castle formation, along the Owl Creek Pass road. After several days of clear, blue skies, I watched these clouds build up in the late afternoon. The nearest interesting foreground in their direction was this formation, and I drove as quickly as I could legally to get here as the sun turned everything pink and purple. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Sunrise on the Colorado River, near Kremmling. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens with 1.4 teleconverter

	Reflected Aspens, Kebler Pass Road I hiked off the main road for about half a mile and found a little pond ringed with aspens. As the wind calmed down, I noticed the reflections from the aspen trunks. I deliberately excluded the actual trees, focusing instead only on the impressionistic reflections. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Leaning Aspens, Last Dollar Road This whole stand of aspens leans in all different directions. I especially like this composition. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	The view from my tent on Owl Creek Pass. I was astounded by the stars when I opened my tent in the early morning hours. We don't see this in the big city! I lit up the tent opening briefly during this 30-second exposure. Canon EOS 5D, 24mm lens. 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 3200.

	The Milky Way from Owl Creek Pass. The stars at 10,000 feet in rural Colorado are just stunning, especially compared to the view one gets in the city! Canon EOS 5D, 24mm lens. 30 seconds at f/2.8, ISO 3200.

	Sunset near Owl Creek Pass. As I was setting up my tent, I saw the sun sending its rays around this tree. I managed several frames before it went below the horizon. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Frozen grasses near Gore Pass. As I passed this small beaver pond, I initially noticed the mirror-smooth water reflecting the grasses growing on the banks. However, I also found these grass and ice patterns near the edges. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Scrub oak and Aspen, Kebler Pass Road. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Below the Falls, Roaring Fork River near Aspen. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Aspens near Owl Creek Pass. After a couple of days of unproductive driving through acres of beetle kill and brown aspens, the trees on Owl Creek Pass were a welcome sight. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Sneffels Range from CR7, Ridgway. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Mt. Sneffels from CR 5, near Ridgway. Mt. Sneffels is a challenge to photograph. It is oriented such that its face is in the shade except for at sunrise and sunset. On the other hand, it's such a perfect mountain that it's impossible to resist! It had received a little snow over the past day or so, which helps accentuate the form of the mountain. I spent a pleasant, if chilly, morning watching the sun slowly creep down its face and across the hills and trees in the foreground. Although there were no dramatic atmospherics this morning, I still like the image. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens.

	Infrared cottonwood path, near Gunnison. Since Kodak's High Speed Infrared film has been discontinued, I've started experimenting with an infrared filter on my digital camera. Digital sensors are inherently very sensitive to infrared wavelengths; in fact, they come with infrared-blocking filters. However, they don't block all the infrared radiation, as this image shows. The look isn't quite the same as the glow one got from Kodak's infared film, but it's not too bad. Exposure times are long - typically over 10 seconds at a high ISO and with the lens at a large aperture. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens, RM72 infrared filter. 15 sec at f/6.3, ISO 1000.

	Old Building on the Last Dollar Road. I was drawn to the geometric lines and to the contrast in tones in this image. I tried several versions and preferred the most cropped, abstract result. Canon EOS 5D, 70-200 lens, 1.4 teleconverter.

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Colorado, Autumn 2009