The afternoon sun of a glorious November day intercepts rising fins of rock in Devil's Garden, Arches National Park, Utah. In the distance, the white peaks of the La Sals are colored by the season's first snows.
This red desert, intricately decorated by rill and runnel, and surrounded by snowy heights, occupies such a place in my mind that an entire life lived here would still feel inadequate. If this be the place of the Devil, well it seems olde Beelzebub may be onto something...
Tags: Arches National Park Colorado Plateau Devils Garden LaSal Mountains Landscape National Park U.S. National Park Utah afternoon afternoon light autumn clouds desert fins magic hour mountains polarizer red rock red rock country red rocks sandstone
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2022-09-01, Day 6
The deep shade of evening fills the valley and reaches inexorably for the summits of the surrounding peaks south of Colonel Pass, Jasper National Park, Alberta.
A mile or so south of Colonel Pass the towering slopes of Mount Machray rose into view and we sought a place to pitch the tent for the evening in a copse of fir and spruce. The nearby meadow was filled with late-season yellow composites that gleamed brightly in the growing shadows. It was fortuitous to find a campsite with plenty of time to spare before it got dark, with splendid views, and with a few clouds building on the horizon to the southwest. With any luck there might be a sunset to inspire the mind with wonder.
We prepared an evening repast of mushroom risotto with parmigiano, chicken, and peas, and as the pot warmed to its task, I wandered amongst the flowers with an eye to the last light on the peaks. Because sunset so often intersects with the evening mealtime, I find I am rarely outside for the most beautiful light when I am at home. Here, on the other hand, one can wander about the 'kitchen' with the camera in hand so long as half an eye can be spared to prevent the food from burning. As the intoxicating combination of porcini and parmigiano wafted my direction, I could not help but feel elated with where we found ourselves.
Technical notes: Focus stack of four hand-held images, manually blended in Photoshop CC.
Tags: Alberta Asteraceae Canada Canadian Rockies Colonel Pass Great Divide Trail Landscape National Park Northern Rockies Rocky Mountains Victoria Cross Range alpenglow alpine asters backcountry backpacking evening evening light flowers focus stack high country high elevation magic hour meadow mountains sunset wilderness wildflower wildflowers
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Clones of Quaking Aspen (Populus tremuloides) differentiate from each other during autumn by the slightly different times at which they exchange their common summer green for brilliant warm hues, Crested Butte, Colorado.
Some roads are a visual blight, marring the landscape and adding little to the aesthetic. This one struck me as a different kind of road. A path onward but also inward, affording the chance for discoveries both external and internal. Navigating this latter kind of road in the autumn in Colorado always quickens my pulse and makes me feel about 10 years old. The evidence also suggests that when these elements converge, I become a slow driver who is prone to using all available pull-outs.
Tags: Colorado Colorado Rockies Crested Butte Elk Range Fall Gunnison County Landscape Populus tremuloides Rocky Mountains Southern Rockies aspen aspens autumn fall color fence gravel road high country high elevation morning morning light mountains polarizer road spruce United States
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