Engineering the Perfect View

Engineer Mountain rises above a cool lake and forest

Vallecito Lake during the rain

Here's a shot I took at Vallecito Lake while a large rainstorm was bearing down on us. My window washing crew and I were up there doing some work and we got lucky in finishing the job before the drops started dropping.

Storms over the Mountains

There have been some spectacular thunderstorms over the mountains this month. All the extra water is helping keep the wildfires away. Let's hope it continues.

Flowers with the Florida

A nice patch of flowers on the bank of the Florida River

Waking up Wet

A steady rain fell most of the night last night, leaving everything nice and wet. Oh, how I love the monsoon season!

Rain!

Rain finally falls after a dry June.

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.

Knotted Glow

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

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.

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.

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.

"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

Electra and Engineer

Can't stop thinking about the river!

It's pushing 5000 cf/s!

Kayaking the Big River

There has been a lot of people getting out to enjoy the high water levels of the Animas this Spring. It's something I've always wanted to try since I saw my first Mountain Games in Vail, Colorado several years ago. It is totally amazing what people are capable of!

Reservoirs are looking healthy

As the springtime snowmelt proceeds, the local reservoirs begin to fill. Most in the area are looking better than they have in few years.Compare these photos of Lemon Reservoir to a picture I took a couple of years ago from near the same spot

State of the Animas

The river is really starting to swell. USGS measured 3,120 cu. ft/s this morning. Compare these pictures with ones I took a little while back. It has also taken on its silty chocolate color that I  love so dearly. "Too thick to drink, too thin to plow"--Mark Twain.