Shepherd On The Range, Southern Colorado
Modern day shepherd on the range in Southern Colorado. Camo snow gear, thick gloves, high tech snow boots, a beautiful palomino and that’s his home on the range in the left rear. The sheep and a few goats look very healthy and winter weather resistant. Temperatures dropped to 14 degrees at 4:30pm yesterday. Today was another cold day in the valley. The shepherd and his sheep were heading north right down the middle of the road. I turned off the engine, sat and watched the show. It’s slow moving but they get there eventually. Thanks for looking. G
Snow Day Photo Tour, San Luis Valley
Snow day photo tour in the San Luis Valley. A wonderful trip around one of my most favorite places on earth, with two wonderful photographers, at one of my favorite locations. Deep snow trudging! Hawks, wild horses, frozen lakes and rivers; snow capped high peaks of the Sangre de Cristo mountains with pristine light for image making. Thanks for looking. G
Monolithic Hay Bales, Jaroso, Colorado
Monolithic hay bale structures, scattered across the landscape in the San Luis Valley, like medieval fortifications and moat-less castles standing defiant, besieged by an onslaught of snow. This was the first stop on our photo trip in and around Jaroso, Colorado. I’ll be heading back up there again tomorrow, on another photo tour, in search of more landscape images. We may encounter eagles, hawks, wild mustangs and who knows what other wonders we’ll find. Thanks for looking. G
Horned Lark, San Luis Valley
Horned Lark on another photography adventure in the San Luis Valley, Colorado yesterday. Vast expanses of white and white-out with blizzard conditions at times. Two bald eagles, a Zone-tailed Hawk, Peregrine Falcon, numerous Red-tailed Hawks, a large flocks of Ravens, Crows, and Magpies along with thousands of these Horned Larks in huge flocks, foraging around the edge of the fields. Thanks for looking. G
Lobatos Steel Bridge, Rio Grande Colorado
Lobatos steel bridge, crosses the Rio Grande in southern Colorado. On a full day photo adventure today crossing the Rio Grande, the river below us is solid ice. The road way on the bridge is ice, so we skated across it, holding on to the rails. Just kidding, but we had to be sure footed. Thanks for looking. G
Winter Lake, Red Willows, San Luis Valley
Winter lake and red willows in the San Luis Valley, southern Colorado. Made a half day trip here and beyond with friends yesterday. It turned out to be a beautiful winter wonderland of a day. That also includes driving home after dark in an absolute whiteout blizzard. Well… one does engender the other. Thanks for looking. G
Homestead #53 San Luis Valley
Homestead #53 San Luis Valley, southern Colorado. Over the last few weeks we’ve spent many days in the San Luis Valley. I hope you will indulge me my fascination with the landscape, history and architecture of the valley. The area is sparsely populated with many abandoned homesteads. We don’t often meet people out there. Those who do take the time to stop and say hello, asking “is everything ok?’ are more likely a asking a question wrapped in guarded curiosity. Always, everyone we pass driving along, give us a friendly wave, a nod of the head and sometimes a smile. We are welcome for sure, but in return we are gentle with the china and wipe our feet before entering the proverbial home. Thanks for looking. G
Blanca Massif Southern Colorado
Blanca Peak Massif, with lenticular clouds in the San Luis Valley of southern Colorado. The day of the winter solstice yielded some incredible imagery over the six hours we toured around the valley on the border of New Mexico and Colorado. We spent ninety precent of the time on nothing but dirt roads. It’s amazing what one finds off the beaten path. Thanks for looking. G
Black And White In The San Luis Valley
Black and white at the red barn in the southern San Luis Valley, Colorado. This place is so familiar, so familiar to me, that I think I know this place from a past life or parallel universe. It feels so much like home and always good to visit. Thanks for looking. G
Blanca Peak Massif, Smith Lake
Blanca Peak Massif, from the shore line of frozen Smith Lake in the San Luis Valley. It was a beautifully cold and picture perfect day for image making. Heading back up there for the winter solstice moon rise. Thanks for looking. G
Grain Elevator With Hay Bales
Grain elevator with hay bales, Jaroso, Colorado. We took a twilight drive on the snow melt and muddy back roads in the San Luis Valley. We traveled north to the Colorado state line with the setting sun in our rear view mirror. Shortly after crossing the state line in we came across this scene of hay bales with the grain elevator at Anderson’s farm. The blue hues of twilight and the warm tones of the hay bales made this abstract scene glow. Beyond, the snow packed peaks of the Rocky Mountains faded into the evening haze. Thanks for looking. G
White house, San Luis Valley, Colorado
White house with hay bales, San Luis Valley, Colorado. I never miss an opportunity to pull over at this location near the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, which is just discernible on the right in front of the mountains. The hay bales add an element making the place feel less abandoned, almost like someone might be home. Thanks for looking. G
Monarch Of The Hay Bales
Monarch of the hay bales, San Luis Valley. I firmly believe this is a Swainson’s Hawk, as it wasn’t sporting a red tail in the the next few shots after it lifted off and soared to the west. These bales were a field of wheat a week ago. This raptor didn’t waste any time ensconcing itself on the highest vantage point in it’s dominion of the farms and fields in the San Luis Valley. Thanks for looking. G
Evening Coyote In The Long Grasses
Evening Coyote in the long grasses, in a meadow in southern Colorado. I love it when the coyote stops and stares and decides we are just as interesting to him as he is to us. We were, transfixed, during this brief, eye to eye encounter with this animal. In the words of Tony Hillerman “Coyote Watches”, he does, but, I feel sure he saw us long before we saw him! Thanks for looking. G
Red-Tailed Hawk Over The Hedgerow
Red-tailed Hawk over the hedgerow. We made a quick drive a few nights ago to the southern edge of the San Luis Valley in Colorado just over the border from New Mexico. A gentle wind moved through the wheat fields stirring the crops. Raptors launched from power poles, as we drew close, gliding along the fence lines and hedgerows. The adult birds were screeching warnings to the fledglings who followed the parents, riding on warm, gentle thermals. We saw a number of fields being mowed as we criss-crossed the road grids in the area. The center pivot irrigator provided a perfect watch tower and launch pad for a number of raptors, crows and ravens eager to snatch an unsuspecting mouse or rabbit stirred up by the massive wheeled harvester. We were back home for a late dinner and a movie right before dark. This day, in it’s own way, was a cinematic experience in itself. Thanks for looking. G
Harold’s House, Jaroso, Colorado
Harold’s House, Jaroso, in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. The first time I saw this house there was a matching tree to the right of the building where the stump is now. There was a large Great Horned Owl flew out of it and through the scene. I didn’t spot it until I reviewed the images later. It was sitting in the tree the whole time that I was making images. Goes to show, you never know who, pardon the pun, maybe watching. Thanks for watching. G
“A wise old owl sat on an oak; The more he saw the less he spoke; The less he spoke the more he heard; Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?” ~Unknown