Greetings from San Cristobal, New Mexico. Autumn! It’s time to get out and make trips around the block.
The phrase “around the block” refers to day-long road trips we frequently take. A journey that will ultimately bring us back to where we started, and perhaps, because of the sights we’ve seen, we have been reminded of the home that is within us, wherever we go.
This week a few pictures from past trips around the long block in Colorado and a reminder of the upcoming autumn colors that are gradually manifesting here in northern New Mexico. My October schedule for private workshops and tours is almost full. I have a few days still open if you are going to be in the area and want to sign up.
On the road in Colorado, 2012.
Aspen reflections in the car windshield Ohio Creek Pass, Colorado.
A pond in the high country near Grand Mesa, Colorado.
The light, it’s all about the light. Waiting until the sunlight lit up the road and the aspens ahead didn’t take very long but it did require a few moments until the sun emerged from the clouds. The moment and the picture happen, click!!!
Fall color and light on Highway 64, northern NM.
The following three images depict a local pond, a different way the leaves turn in one particular area, and a spontaneous composition on a log in the Carson National Forest a few days ago.
Aspen leaves on a mountain pond, in the Sangre de Cristos.
Aspen leaves in the high country of northern New Mexico.
Aspen leaves on a log in the Carson National Forest.
One fallen aspen tree leads the eye through the standing trees to the copse beyond.
Aspen tree Hopewell Lake, New Mexico.
A nice hillside of aspens in various stages of fall. There are still a number of weeks of turning colors to come. Join me on a photo tour and I’ll share some of my favorite locations with you.
Aspens on the flanks of the Brazos Cliffs, New Mexico.
I frequently enjoy visiting this pond in the mountains between Taos and Angel Fire and this week we hit it with precision timing. The leaves were falling like rain on and around us. Here’s a video I shared on Facebook. Turn up the sound if you watch!
Autumn pond in Valle Escondido, NM.
And… last but not least, spending as much time on the road as I do, the opportunities abound. In this case a Porcupine trucking across the road. I had to move fast. The porcupine was fast, but I was slightly faster and that’s how I got this picture of a sweet little creature.
A couple of nights ago I walked out to our driveway to watch this month’s Harvest moon rise over the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. I watched this celestial event in its entirety, unencumbered by foreground buildings and landscape features on a crisp, autumn evening. It was so clear it felt like I could reach out and touch the moon. I hope you got to watch it where you are.
Harvest Moonrise, San Cristobal, NM
Today I had to get a rock chip repaired in my windshield. I had an hour to kill so I wandered around the neighborhood and came up with the following shot.
Taos Mountain with Culverts, Taos, NM
Earlier this evening I had another wander through my hard drives. I found this picture of a Javelina. This was from a few years ago in the Bosque del Apache NWR. It’s sort of appropriate as I’m planning a trip there this coming November. It’s been a couple of years since I was there last so I’m looking forward to going again. I recall the moment when this little guy popped up from an arroyo, surprising me, and ran across the trail ahead.
Javelina in the Bosque del Apache NWR, NM
This image came up in my favorites on my phone. In 2019, my friend Ron and I ended a great five-day photo trek in Lamy, NM. He went on and I went home. I’ve caught the train here many times and ridden it to Los Angeles and back. The Amtrak train still stops here on its route from Chicago to LA.
Lamy Train Depot, Lamy, New Mexico
Going back further still, I came across this beautiful fall scene taken at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, NM. I thought it worthy of a repeat performance on my website.
Gatehouse and dovecots at the Mabel Dodge Luhan House, Taos, NM
If you’d like to see fall colors in the high desert, I still have a few days open between now and the end of October for my photography tour/workshops in northern New Mexico and southern Colorado.
As always, thank you for looking. Have a great week. G
Autumn Trio, Rio Fernando Park, Taos, New Mexico. I found some pleasing sights on a walk this morning through the park and wetlands. It was most enjoyable focusing my lens on the simpler compositions. Thanks for looking. G
Aspen glade near Hopewell Lake, New Mexico. Just off the highway and a short walk away was this beautiful aspen glade carpeted with the leaves that had fallen with many more to go. The golden aspens were creating their own magical light source and a perfect moment to spend time in a beautiful place. I think I’ll head out there again tomorrow. Thanks for looking. G
Oak Leaf, today on Lama Mountain, northern New Mexico. The shades of autumn in the changing scrub oak, their mesmerizing colors carpeting the hillsides of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of the southern Rockies. I picked one from the car window as we passed and held it with the sun lighting from behind, against a dark shadowed background. Thanks for looking. G
Aspen grove, against grey clouds on Highway 17, at the Cumbres Pass, Colorado. Four hours drive away from yesterday’s photo of the day, just over the state line in Colorado, the colors are doing their thing precisely on time. I’ve photographed this scene many times over the last few years. It continues to be a favorite location each Autumn when the aspens light up the hills in the Rocky Mountains. Interesting fact, aspens grow from one root system. They are the largest living organism on the planet. Thanks for looking. G
Aspen road, in the mountains of northern New Mexico. The aspens around Taos are in all shades from green and in some cases yellow and gold. Farther north in southern Colorado, at ten thousand feet, things are advancing fast. It is great to smell autumn in the air with moisture and cooler temperatures. Enjoy your autumnal equinox (7:31am MST) this morning and the rest of your fall. Thanks for looking. G
Autumn Pond in the Sangre De Cristo mountains of New Mexico. On a photo tour today with friend and fellow photographer Mark Collins, we travelled the Enchanted Circle and beyond. What a spectacular drive and scenery with amazing light. Tomorrow we do it all over again in the Valle Vidal. Thanks for looking. G
Autumn colors and a storm brewing in the mountains of northern New Mexico. Well, not this year, not yet! Continuing to dig in the archives I came across this image from 2010. This view is in Des Montes just north of Taos and we’re looking at the valley directly ahead that leads to the Taos Ski area. In this shot it looks like snow in them there hills. Thanks for looking. G
