IntrepidXJ's Adventure Blog

Friday, December 28, 2012

With the full moon out tonight, I thought it would be fun to head up to the Colorado National Monument again and try to get a few photos of the canyons and spires lit by the moonlight with the city lights of Grand Junction and Fruita in the background. Thanks to an inversion, the temperatures in the valley were pretty cold but, it was much nicer up on the Monument.

Looking down Wedding Canyon towards Fruita. Independence Monument dominates the foreground.

City Lights by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

A closer look at the Pipe Organ, Sentinel Spire and Window Rock.

Window Rock Night by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I really like this one with the snow, shadows and faint stars.

Winter’s Embrace by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Christmas Eve | Monday, December 24, 2012

On Christmas Eve it snowed all day which is a little unusual for the Grand Valley. When I got out of work, I thought it would be a good idea to drive up to the Colorado National Monument and take some photos in the snowstorm. I knew the road on top was closed because of the weather, so I went in via the Fruita entrance so I could at least drive to the Independence Monument Viewpoint. Some may find these photos boring and bland and much different from my typical ‘colorful’ images, but I was trying to create something more unique from these locations that I frequently visit and photograph. I’d love to hear your thoughts on the following images in the comments section.

As I drove up the snow-covered switchbacks, I had to pull over and stop for a photo of Balance Rock in the snow.

Balance Rock Snowstorm by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

My first stop was at the Independence Monument Viewpoint.

Tracks by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Independence Monument in the snow.

Independence Monument Snowstorm by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Saturday & Sunday, December 15-16, 2012

Each year Amanda and I take a trip to Arches National Park around Christmas time. It’s become kind of a tradition for us. This year we planned the trip two weekends before Christmas because of Amanda’s work schedule closer to the holiday. Some years we only go down for a day trip, but this year we got a hotel room in Moab and spent the full weekend.

On Saturday morning we left bring at early from Grand Junction so that we could make it to the park for sunrise. Unfortunately, the sky was very overcast this morning, so there wasn’t a sunrise. Instead, we decided to stop and hike the Park Avenue trail when we arrived. It’s been a few years since I hiked this short trail, but Amanda had not hiked it before. We started at the bottom and hiked to the top before returning the same way. It was pretty cold and windy out, plus we got rained on a few times, but we did have the trail to ourselves.

Looking back at The Organ from the slickrock wash this overcast morning.

Organ View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The Organ with Balanced Rock on the horizon.

Organ & Balance by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Next up we stopped at the Courthouse Wash bridge and hiked up to Ring Arch. Neither of us had been here before, so it was nice to visit a new arch this trip.

Ring Arch by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Friday – Sunday, December 7-9, 2012

This weekend I decided to stay home for a change. I figured that I could spend some quality time photographing the Colorado National Monument since I would be around. After work on Friday, I drove up to the Monument to try and catch a sunset that looked promising. It turned out to be a decent sunset, but not over the Monument. Instead, it was colorful over the Book Cliffs across the valley.

A portion of the Book Cliffs across the valley turns pink.

Red Book Cliffs by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The following morning I was up at the Monument again. This time I was there well before the sun came up so I could try and catch the glow that sometimes happens 15-20 minutes before sunrise.

Before the sunrise the monoliths lit up with the glow I was hoping for. This is a view down Wedding Canyon towards Fruita.

Fruita Beyond by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

The early morning glow lights up The Island.

Island View by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr
 

Moab Area Rock Art XXII
Saturday, December 1, 2012

On Saturday I drove down to Moab to meet up with Marty again for some hiking and exploring. He’s going to be moving to Grand Junction at the beginning of the new year, so we wanted to get at least one more hike in before he got busy with the move. Over the last year Marty had come across some new rock art sites while out exploring the area, so today he was going to show me some of them.

I managed to time my drive to Moab so that I was near the Fisher Towers at sunrise.

Fisher Silhouette by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

Highway 128 through the Richardson Amphitheater at sunrise.

128 by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I stopped along the Colorado River as the early morning light was striking the cliffs on the other side.

Colorado Morning by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr

I’ve driven the River Road to Moab many times over the years and have never seen a bighorn sheep along this stretch before. That would change this morning since this guy was standing on the shoulder of the road as I approached. I pulled over and changed my lens to get this shot before he climbed back up into the cliffs to join the rest of the group.

Climbing Ram by IntrepidXJ, on Flickr