I stayed on a goat farm outside the little town of Paonia while I was in Colorado a couple of weeks ago. Paonia's on Colorado’s Western Slope, which includes everything west of the Continental Divide. I loved the area for a couple of reasons: 1) it encompasses an enormous variety of natural environments; and 2) many fewer people live on the Western Slope than on the Front Range (Colorado’s east side of the Rockies).
There was so much to see that I ended up routinely biting off more than I could chew, particularly in terms of getting “home” before dark.1 My first experience of that phenomenon was while I was driving through the Curecanti National Recreation Area, essentially a ginormous canyon carved by the Gunnison River, now the home of three large reservoirs. The road was narrow, with numerous curves and no shoulders, so although I saw many gorgeous2 sights before it got dark, I was able to pull over to photograph only a few (above and below).
I drove through complete darkness for about an hour and a half, all the time worrying that I’d be surprised by a deer (or vice versa). It turned into a long and tedious drive.
So what did I do the very next morning? I drove back along the same curvy, mountainous, shoulderless road. I’d been able to see just enough the evening before to suspect I’d passed through some truly spectacular terrain.3 I was right.
I’m fairly sure the dark reddish-orange vegetation in the background of the two photos above is scrub oak starting to turn. The thin white trunks with yellow and green leaves are aspens.
It’s hard to show the enormous scale of Curecanti NRA. In addition to the main canyon carved by the Gunnison, there are numerous side canyons which, just about anywhere else, would each be considered quite spectacular on their own.
I can’t wait to go back.
In my internal world, I’m still in my 20s and completely invincible … despite the fact that my body tells me otherwise on an almost daily basis.
So to speak.
You will not be surprised to learn the drive was much easier in daylight.
Wow!! I understand why you wanted to go back, spectacular!!! Thx for sharing the exquisite colors you captured!
Bev
As an armchair companion on all your trips in and out of state - I'm having the BEST time through your observations and lens , Lisa. It's heady stuff! Thanks and thanks again and again for sharing your photojournalism with us all. Judith