Postcards from the Past

Much has changed in the 97 years between these two photographs

Electra

A view of Electra Lake from the Columbine area. Electra is a man-made reservoir for water storage and hydroelectric power generation and is about twenty minutes north of Durango.

Sky's on Fire

Another brilliant sunset illuminates the sky over Durango

Stop and smell the roses

And if you're like me, take a picture too!

La Plata Canyon

At the mouth of La Plata Canyon,ose to the old mining camp of Mayday. Near Hesperus.

Like Teeth

Pigeon and Turret peaks have an impressive prominence as viewed from Oxford, Colorado, which is 30 miles away from them as the crow flies. They stick out and remind me of teeth.

Knotted Glow

Sneaking a peek into someone's yard to see shimmering droplets spray into the air.

Abandoned

An old shed stands alone in an empty field near the Mercury building

Engineer Mountain

A most beautiful mountain that reaches 12,968 feet above sea level.

Happy Solstice

Looking upstream from near Bodo.

Falls Creek

A favorite view in Falls Creek. Looking south toward Turner Reservoir and Animas City Mountain on the horizon.

The Purple Cilffs of the McDermott Formation

South of Durango lies this striking maroon cliff band of strata known locally as the Purple Cliffs and geologically as the McDermott Formation. It is believed by most geologist to be a fluvial deposit with debris flows and some volcaniclastic deposits from the La Plata Volcanic Intrusions to the northwest.. The deposit can be found throughout the Four Corners area and is dated to be on the Upper Cretaceous-Tertiary boundary (66 Million years old) and some fossils have been found in the formation here in Durango and also in exposures in New Mexico. I find them to be one of my favorite exposures in all of the Durango area.

Hazy Skies

Recent windstorms have filled our skies with dust and smoke from wildfires burning in New Mexico. This shot has only a little, but some days have been downright awful.

The Streets at Dusk

Main Avenue with the Strater Hotel.

Hermosa Creek Trail

Hermosa Creek Trail is an awesome singletrack in the mountains just north of town. It begins right near the ski area and travels south along the creek for about twenty miles or so. It is listed in many mountain biking guide books and is known as one of the best singletrack trails in the United States. Some friends and I rode it yesterday and I can confirm that it is an awesome ride. It rolls through very beautiful scenery and is a well maintained trail with a lot of downhill. Although at the end there is a punishing climb out of the canyon to get back to town. All in all, it was an epic experience that I am very happy to have had.

First Cut

Freshly baled hay sits in the field waiting to be picked up. Bayfield, Colorado.

System Failure

It seems my computer is not reading my SD card anymore, so I am unable to post new pictures. It may take a while until I figure out a new way to get content onto the blog again. I'm sorry to disappoint.

The Boulevard

The beautiful, tree lined Third Avenue

ABC Wednesday: V is for...

A Voluptuous, Verdant, Vibrantly Viridescent Valley exploding with Vegetation.

This post is linked to ABC Wednesday, please visit to see other expressions of the letter V.

Pine River Valley

With all the water flowing down from the mountains, the growth has been exuberant.  This is in the Pine Valley north of Bayfield and south of Vallecito.

Mallard and Beaver

Two others that call the pond near my street home.

Colorado Columbine

The State Flower reenforces the beauty of my special spot.

"Like the tears of the Earth, rivers they run.

Coming down from the Mountain in the bright morning sun."-- The Infamous Stringdusters. Here's a link to the track these words are from

Ska Brewing World Headquarters

Located out in Bodo, Ska produces the best beer in Durango. Their Modus Hoperandi is an international favorite amongst Hop-Heads. Every Thursday is the Ska-B-Q with live music and food from the Container. Come out, have a good beer, listen to some rockin' tunes and take a tour of the brewery. It's always a fun time out here!

Red-winged Blackbird

This Agelaius phoeniceus is one of several that call the little pond near my street home. I often see and hear them flitting about as I travel past their home.

Last Night's Sunset

A good way to end the day!

Electra and Engineer

Details make life livable

I don't know about you, but for me the small things are what I notice the most. It's a good thing I have a camera, but even without I always stop to soak in the details of life. Perhaps one day I may find better ways to describe my world and convey my mystical wonder to others. The hardest part is just to take notice and that is done with my eyes and thankfully a camera.

Can't stop thinking about the river!

It's pushing 5000 cf/s!