“Indian Peaks Winter” Colored Pencil The Indian Peaks are buried under deep snow on a cold, December morning. The evergreens appear black during the winter as they contrast starkly against the fresh, white snow. Navajo, Apache and Shoshoni Peaks take on a golden hue that compliments the bright, blue sky. It’s the perfect time to […]
General Custer fell here After destroying Custer’s entire battalion, the warriors raced south across the ridges to engage the last remnant of the Seventh Cavalry. Lying flat on the ground, the soldiers formed a perimeter of defense around a natural depression scooped out of the summit of their hilltop refuge. They managed to hold off […]
Delicate Arch The Delicate Arch is tucked away in an eroded, natural amphitheater that includes sweeping views across a vast expanse to the La Salle Mountains. Reaching Utah’s most iconic landmark requires strenuous effort as the two mile trek to the spectacular location is almost entirely uphill. With a shape more sturdy than delicate, the […]
Blue Lakes, Colorado During the first part of the journey, we looked at all the life. There were plants and goats and marmots and things. Blue Lakes was a cool pond of icy indigo stair-stepped in a deep moraine. After a while, we were dwarfed by a massive summit called Quandary. We continued through the […]
Canada Goose Every year after the Buchanan Ponds’ icy water thaws, the same flock of Canada Geese reappears and trumpets the arrival of spring. They settle in right away and begin nesting immediately. They are comfortable enough to stay here all summer long. Through the molting season, an eight to ten week flightless period when […]
Lake Isabelle About 600 years ago North America experienced a slight cooling that produced colder temperatures, longer winters and increased glaciation. During this Little Ice Age, Colorado’s northern Front Range was blasted with precipitation. Year after year heavy snowfall filled the deep, east-facing cirques. Over time, the compressed snow transformed into ice which eventually began […]
Mountain Lion I’ve never been lucky enough to observe a mountain lion in the wild but they’re rarely glimpsed by anyone. Mountain lions are extremely reclusive being most active between dusk and dawn. The big cats live a solitary life, prowling from rocky ridges to deep canyons always fiercely protective of their precious territory. This […]
Unicorn Their place in the human imagination is similar to that of dragons, griffins and sea-serpents. The present-day unicorn is portrayed as a magical, white stallion with a long, spiraled alicorn that protrudes from its forehead. Drawings of horses with a single straight horn first appear on the cave walls of Lascaux, France. Later, Aristotle […]
The Cadet Chapel “We will not lie, steal, or cheat, nor tolerate among us anyone who does. ~ Cadet Honor Code Below a spectacular summit named Eagle, we spent a stormy, summer weekend playing in a soccer tournament at the United States Air Force Academy. The athletic fields were immaculate and the opening day atmosphere […]
Lake Isabelle About 600 years ago North America experienced a slight cooling that produced colder temperatures, longer winters and increased glaciation. During this Little Ice Age, Colorado’s northern Front Range was blasted with precipitation. Year after year heavy snowfall filled the deep, east-facing cirques. Over time, the compressed snow transformed into ice which eventually began […]
Unicorn Their place in the human imagination is similar to that of dragons, griffins and sea-serpents. The present-day unicorn is portrayed as a magical, white stallion with a long, spiraled alicorn that protrudes from its forehead. Drawings of horses with a single straight horn first appear on the cave walls of Lascaux, France. Later, Aristotle […]
“High Country Clouds” Colored Pencil It’s a perfect, summer day in Colorado’s Front Range where soft clouds drift across a hard wilderness that’s constructed from wood, rock and water. The remote cirque is set below a string of jagged giants who don’t possess even a trace of snow. As is usual in the alpine environment, […]
Silent Shadows at Dugout Creek “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ~ John Muir This past winter, western Nebraska was a wonderland. Wandering around in bad weather, I wasn’t expecting to find much during my nature walk. Surprisingly, the normally stark Sandhills sparkled with a glow not usually seen. […]
Staunton State Park Last week we visited Colorado’s newest state park. Located just six miles west of Conifer, it reminds some of Sherwood Forest in England because of the huge, old-growth ponderosa pine trees. Others believe the jagged, granite peaks resemble Yosemite National Park in California. Frances Staunton, who gifted the property to the State […]