Engineering the Perfect View

Engineer Mountain rises above a cool lake and forest

Hidden Valley

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.

Misty Curtains

Veils of rain add tremendous depth to far off ridges.

La Plata View

As seen from the southern part of the Animas River Valley near the state line.

Around Dusk

Clouds catch the last light of day.

Idyllic Florida Canyon

The small amount of water carried by the Florida River transforms the arid high desert into a lush canyonland and creates a habitat for men and beasts.

Mackerel Sky

Buttermilk clouds foretell of wet weather for later in the day

The Monsoons are Coming

The North American Monsoon is a weather phenomenon that the populations of the Southwestern US look forward to and rely on for moisture and fire control. It occurs when solar heating of the terrain creates a low pressure trough that pulls moisture in from the Gulf of Mexico and brings it into the desert southwest. The result is rain and thunderstorms in the afternoon of most days. In many places, the monsoon provides a substantial part of the area's total yearly rainfall. I hope we have a very wet, fire-free season this year.

Hermosa Cliffs

A small section of a huge escarpment known as the Hermosa  Cliffs, north of Durango.

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

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.

Engineer Mountain

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

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.

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.

Last Night's Sunset

A good way to end the day!

Electra and Engineer