IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

I was up early again yesterday morning to catch another sunrise from Marlboro Point.

Monday, Tuesday & Friday, July 23,24 & 27, 2012

Since the monsoon season here on the western slope of Colorado is in full effect, I went out to photograph a couple of sunsets this week after work. On Monday I drove up to the Colorado National Monument right after some heavy rain had passed through the area. The road up to the Visitor’s Center was covered with debris and rockfall from some flash flooding, so I had to drive extra carefully. I decided to stop at the Book Cliffs View to take a few photos.

The potholes were full of water, and the light was striking the tops of the monuments in the distance.

Highlights by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A rainbow formed over the Grand Valley, and the Grand Mesa was lit up nicely, too

Rainbow Over the Valley by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A touch of pink is added to the clouds in the sky above Monument Canyon.

A Touch of Pink by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

This image from the Great Sand Dunes National Park is a few years old, but my post-processing skills have come a long way since the first time I processed this one…

I took this photo yesterday evening of Rim Rock Drive in the Colorado National Monument curving up a switchback. This image really has it all! Besides the nice curve in the road as it exits a tunnel, there is nice warm light on the tops of the cliffs and some very nice clouds in the sky. There’s even a nice rainbow to top it off. Oh yeah, if you look closely at the rainbow you can even see the moon!

Saturday, July 21, 2012

I left work at 11:00am on Friday, finished loading up the Jeep and made my way east on I-70 to the Front Range. One of my personal goals for the year was to hike to the top of three 14ers, so I decided to try and hike the Grays Peak and Torreys Peak combo to knock two more off of my list. I made it to the Stevens Gulch trailhead around 3:00pm and found a nice campsite nearby. Had I arrived later in the evening, I doubt I would have been able to find a nice campsite right near the trail. There were a few sprinkles of rain in the afternoon, but they only lasted for a short time. I spent much of the evening reading and relaxing. The sky stayed overcast until I went to bed around 9:00pm, so I didn’t even bother taking any photos around sunset.

My campsite with a nice view in Stevens Gulch. Grays Peak is visible in the distance.

Stevens Gulch Camp by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

My alarm woke me up bright and early at 4:00am on Saturday morning. After having a quick breakfast of oatmeal and getting my pack ready for the hike, I was on the trail at 4:30. I started the hike up Stevens Gulch under a canopy of stars with the silhouettes of the surrounding mountains just barely visible. There were a few other people on the trail at this time, but they were pretty far ahead of me, so I was by myself for a while. It was nice, especially since I knew the trail would be packed full of people in a few short hours. The stars soon faded as the dawn light arrived. As I was nearing the base of Grays and Torreys I was treated to the first light of the day striking both peaks as the sun was just rising in the east. I took a few photos of the peaks glowing orange before starting my climb up to the top of Grays Peak.

Just as the sun started to rise, it gave Torreys Peak a purplish glow for less than a minute. Luckily my camera was handy.

Early Torreys by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Then the mountains in front of me were bathed in amazing warm light. It was an incredible sight and made me wish I had dragged my heavy DSLR along with me. The mountain lit up in this photo is Torreys Peak.

Torreys Sunrise by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr