Pictures of the Day 7/9/25 - Muddy Pass Area

Muddy Pass is located along US 40 and near Rabbit Ears Pass, heading west towards Steamboat Springs. We stopped at Muddy Pass Lake to watch the wildlife and photograph the flowers. Since there was direct sun with no cloud cover, the wildflower captures were limited, due to contrasty lighting.

                                                           American White Pelican (KW)

                                                                     Aspen Fleabane (KW)

                                                                 Wildflower Medley (KW)

We then headed to the Arapaho NWR, near Walden, where we occasionally see moose. No moose this day, but in the shady areas, we were able to capture some good wildflower images.

                                                                         Pronghorn (KW)

                                                                         Wild Onions (KW)

                                                                            Blue Lupine KW)

                                                                       Birds on a Wire (SW)

Pictures of the Day 7/7/25 - Crested Butte Area

Crested Butte is really the capital of Colorado wildflowers and each year they hold a wildflower festival. We timed our arrival to just a few days ahead of the crowds and most of these were taken near Lake Irwin, just west of Crested Butte.

                                                                        Scarlet Gilia (KW)
 

                                                                            Blue Flax (KW)

Hillside of sunflowers (KW)

                                        Wildflower abstract, 1/4-second exposure with motion (KW)

                                                                        Blue Lupine (KW)

                                                                Field of Flowers (SW)

Pictures of the Day - 7/6/25 - Lake City Area

 We'll start off with the baby donkey at the Gunnison KOA camp. We've camped here before and the camp has a variety of goats, donkeys and now a baby cow. All but the cow are allowed to wander about the camp.

Today, we traveled around the Lake City area and particularly County Roads 20 and 30, which lead to Engineer Pass and Cinnamon Pass, respectively. Here are a few wildflowers found mostly above 10,000 feet.

                                                            Columbines with Log (SW)

                                                                          Wild Rose (KW)

                                                                            Primrose (KW)

                                                              Yellow Bellied Marmot (KW)

                                                            Colorado Blue Columbine (KW)

Pictures of the Day 7/3/25 - Telluride and Ophir Road Area

Today, we woke to building stormy weather, perfect for wildflower photography! Clouds helps to diffuse the bright sun, revealing fine details in the shaded areas of the images. Water droplets on the flowers just adds to the appeal. See "Photographing Forests" (Nov. 16, 2011) below for a good example.

We decided to check out the Ophir Road just south of Telluride, off Colorado Highway 145. To get there from Ridgeway, take Colorado Highway 62 west to CO-145 and head south past the turnoff to Telluride. Ophir is a small mining town, now populated with several summer cabins and a few permanent residents. The road is paved and graded gravel further up. Speed limit is 10 mph through town and they ensure this by creating deep dips in the roadway (opposite of 'speed bumps'). On to the flowers!

                                                                  Foxtail grass seeds (KW)

                                                                    Wild geraniums (KW)

                                                                  Scrubby cinquefoil (KW)

                                                                     Lupine closeup (KW)

                                                          Alpine yarrow with butterfly (KW)

                                                                           Groundsel (KW)

                                              Flowering prickly pear cactus, near Ridgeway (KW)

                                                                       Mule Deer (SW)

Pictures of the Day 7/2/25 - Owl Creek Pass Area

Today was productive for wildflower photos. The road to Owl Creek Pass and environment is one of my favorite routes within the Uncompagre Mountains of Colorado. Unlike most other routes requiring 4WD and high clearance vehicles, this road is a relatively tame county road, which turns into a marked forest service road and normal vehicles may travel on it safely. I've led many a photo tour through on this route.

To follow this route, start on US Highway 550 north of Ouray, CO, and turn east on County Road 8. Follow this road through farms and ranches until it turns into Forest Service 858/CR8. Proceeding via numerous hairpin turns, you'll wind up to Owl Creek Pass (elevation 10,118). Continue on to Silver Jack Reservoir. If you'd like to make a loop trip, continue north through more farms and ranches to US Highway 50, which heads back to Montrose, then south on US 550 back to your starting point. Otherwise, return the way you came.

One interesting side note, the film True Grit, starring John Wayne, was filmed near the pass (the scene on horseback of him shooting rifles with each hand), as well as the area around Ridgeway, CO.

On to the flowers!

Lupine (KW)

Indian Paintbrush (KW)

                              Wild rose (KW)                                                     Colorado Columbine (KW)

Wild roses with aspen (KW)

Salsify seed pod (KW)                                                  Columbine (KW)

Columbine with Aspens (KW)

                                                                    Dwarf Sunflower (KW)

                                                                    Fern forest cover (KW)

                                                                      Yellow Marmot (SW)

                                                                        Skunk Cabbage (KW)

                                        Penstemon (KW)                      Northern Paintbrush (KW)

                                                                Penstemon Medly (SW)

                                                                Blue Columbines (SW)

                                                            Alpine Moon Daisy (SW)

                                                            Twisted Aspen Trunks (SW)

                                                                        Mule Deer (SW)

                                                                    Curious Lambs (SW)

Pictures of the Day 7/1/25 - Highway 550 Durango to Ouray

                                            Old mine along the route to Ouray, Colorado (KW)

Red Mountain (11,654') is prominent along the route. There are a lot of iron deposits making it a reddish color. (KW)

More mines along the way (KW) 

Highway 550, the "Million Dollar Highway", gets pretty narrow as you approach Ouray.  No guard rails for the weak-hearted! When it was first built from Ouray to Silverton by Otto Mears in 1883, it was calculated to be constructed on at least a million dollars worth of gold and silver at the time. (KW)