Blanca Peak Massif, Snow And Ice
Blanca Peak Massif, snow and ice, southern Colorado. I’ve been here before and it often looks like this in winter. It’s a gorgeous spot at the side of a back road where the wind blows something fierce when it wants to. It doesn’t look it, but it was 7˚ out there on this day. Thanks for looking. G
Winter Fields, Red Barn, San Luis Valley, Colorado
Winter fields, red barn, San Luis Valley, Colorado. This is one of the most fertile valleys, surrounded by ancient, extinct volcanoes, lava cones and scattered scenes like this one. Another in this series of barns and abandoned homesteads of the San Luis Valley. Thanks for looking. G
Valley Homestead, Beyond The Fence
Valley homestead, beyond the fence in the San Luis Valley. If you are familiar with my work and my website you’ll recognize this old dwelling. Over the years the fence has also featured prominently in my images. Someone, at some point in time, peeled back the barbed wire in order to get access to the building. Personally, I like to document these abandoned homesteads from pretty much the same perspective for continuity and posterity. Here’s another view. Thanks for looking. G
Red Barn, San Luis Valley, Where The Rain Gets In
Red Barn, San Luis Valley, where the rain and light gets in. So many holes in the roof and walls to fix. Barn’s letting in the light. Soon there will be only holes and no barn. Thanks for looking. G
Bunker View, White House, San Luis Valley
Bunker view, of the white house in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. Winter in the valley is a special time of year. Peace, silence and solitude prevail. A perfect place to perfect the craft of photography. This is one of many potato storage bunkers, (root cellars) around the vast San Luis Valley. Thanks for looking. G
Iron Gate, Rust, Abandoned Homestead
Iron gate and rust at an abandoned homestead in the San Luis Valley. Every day the decay and deterioration by the elements continues. Derelict structures throughout the valley are bombarded by the sand borne winds. These same winds which helped create the Great Sand Dunes at a northerly corner of the valley. I’m playing with found rusted steel siding again and incorporating it into an image of a gate, that leads to one of the abandoned homes. Perhaps the steel had originally come from this home. Thanks for looking. G
Monte Vista NWR, CO, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, NM
Monte Vista NWR, CO, Bosque Del Apache, NWR, NM. The Sandhill Cranes head south from the northwest corner of the San Luis Valley, Colorado into New Mexico. Following the Rio Grande, as it winds it’s way through canyons, ancient pueblos and thick cottonwood bosques (woods), they pass through the states largest city Albuquerque. Navigating this way as they have for thousands of years they arrive at the nations premier wildlife refuge. At the Bosque del Apache they settle in for the long winter. The first photo is at Monte Vista, Colorado, in the afternoon. The second photo is from early morning at the Bosque del Apache, New Mexico. Thanks for looking. G
Red Barn, Hole In The Roof Sunset
Red Barn, hole in the roof sunset, San Luis Valley, Colorado. I haven’t been to visit the red barn in a while, just north of Ute Mountain, there on the left. The wind can be brutal in this area with many bits of the barn scattered around the perimeter. There are more and more openings in this old building, perfectly positioned, for the sun to peer through before setting across the plateau. Thanks for looking. G
Barley Fields, Ute Mountain, Colorado
Barley fields, Ute Mountain, San Luis Valley, Colorado. Interestingly enough, “Sting” was playing in Taos on Labor Day. Too many people (8000) in a small park in town for me to want to attend. But I do like his song “Fields of Gold” and I much prefer the solitude in these fields of golden barley. I grew up surrounded by barley and wheat fields in Yorkshire, England, so this scene took me back a ways. Thanks for looking. G
Wild Mustang, Southern Colorado
Wild Mustang, roaming in the San Luis Valley, southern Colorado. It was the stallion permitting us to participate in this encounter with these beautiful and powerful wild beings. Stomping his foot and showing his teeth we moved forward, cautious, in deference, as if in some form of supplication. As close as this is, we respected their space and with the aid of long lenses, were able to make images of these magnificent creatures. Click on photo to enlarge. Thanks for looking. G
Sunflowers Galore In The San Luis Valley
Sunflowers galore in the San Luis Valley. Made a quick trip to the valley today to shoot some drone footage with my friends. The Rio Grande was glistening in the late afternoon light from 400 feet. Down at ground level the sunflowers were glowing along the backroads. Thanks for looking. G
Barn and Bales, San Luis Valley
Barn and bales of hay, San Luis Valley, southern Colorado. I love the rural west. Palpable in it’s simplicity. The barn and hay were beyond a fence. I was so drawn to reach out to touch the bales and run my hand along their length and enter the barn. Thanks for looking. G
Driftwood, Inland Beach, San Luis Valley
Driftwood, inland beach, San Luis Valley. Eastdale Lake (reservoir) is a body of water in the San Luis Valley attracting wild life, water fowl, birds and photographers. I got an invite from the land owner to visit this area. It has been fascinating and a privilege to watch the lake fill up with water this spring and summer and observe the creatures it attracts. So far I’ve seen Canada and snow geese, sandhill cranes, deer, wild horses, blackbirds, killdeer, heron, hawks and seagulls. Oh!… and driftwood from a previous high water mark. Life in the valley continues. Stay tuned and thanks for looking. G
Mountain Bluebird, Mesita, Colorado
Mountain Bluebird, Mesita, Colorado. Pretty sure this is a juvenile Mountain Bluebird. The bird emerged from one of the windows of an abandoned homestead we were photographing. It alighted on this bit of scrub nearby. The bluebirds are in abundance this year with ample opportunities for images. Thanks for looking. G
Wild Horses, Spring Time, Colorado
Wild Horses, spring time, in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. The stallion broke away from the two dozen other horses to chase down this mare across the fields. He was frisky… she wasn’t playing too hard to catch. There were three foals in this particular band of wild horses. I’m guessing there’ll be one more soon. Thanks for looking. G
Nesting Red-Tailed Hawk
Nesting Red-tailed Hawk in the San Luis Valley, Colorado. It’s that time of year again and all the usual nest locations are occupied, except one. The pair that raised two chicks in that particular nest last year, are now nesting in another tree close by. It’s a privilege getting to observe these families of raptors in their environment. Not wanting to disturb this bird we made a few images and moved on. Thanks for looking. G
