Colorado

Location Description

Sub-locations

272 photos

I'm pretty sure that says we're at 1000 miles of driving.
Entering the mountains of CO, north of Alamosa
We didn't take the most direct route to Gunnison, but we...
... and follow roads that matched the streams between rock faces
The mountain across the river from our campsite
Our campsite, with Catherine working hard on a crossword
More of our mountain
Our first day on the river
Way up there, you can see Jay fishing
Catherine, having given up on trying to stay out of the...
Overlooking the Taylor Reservoir, at the top of the...
Catherine and Jerry, Jay's brother, overlooking the reservoir
Jay and Catherine
Information on the reservoir and the mountains in the distance
The dam (shudder)
Catherine in the back of the truck
Jay, wearing Jerry's winter waders, ready to go into the river
Jerry hooks his first of the weekend!
[splash]
I took a bunch of pictures for the first fish he...
(Jerry holding) Catherine's second fishy! The first one...
It really did get chilly some of the time.
Mmm, avalanches...
"The Hog Pen", just below the reservoir, where...
Jay ready to get rollin
Looking upriver from the Hog Pen
Same avalanche zone, this time with signage.
Jay and Jerry getting ready
Catherine and Jay ready to face the Hog Pen
Storms a'brewin'
Jay saying bye to Jerry
Jerry's lonely wet tent
The Scenic Ride to the top of the mountain at the top of...
Catherine on the Pacific side...
... Jay on the Atlantic side of the Continental Divide. ...
We considered running the Benz up it just for fun, but...
A fun view of different weather systems
We like the fishy.
Trying to see the Royal Gorge Bridge from the parking...
Oh, wait, way over here, there's a sign -- BRIDGE...
Yay, a bridge! Totally ruined by commercialism.
Looking down into the gorge
The bridge, from afar.
At the bridge!
I think there are rafters down there.
Yay, a helicopter! More to ruin the view and...
Need I point out the San Francisco cable car driving...
More cool weather
Our flight from Seattle was at 6am, which meant leaving...
Hey look! My Washington log made it to Texas! Or, at...
Ready to fly out!
At Mesa Verde ... had bought our tickets from the Ranger...
Hard to appreciate the scale, but we are looking down...
And tucked into the cliffs on our side is the Great House
We would be done there soon.
Was looking to get a shot with no people. Those who...
Looking for the perfect picture while waiting for the ranger
Who arrived and gave us a safety talk ... mainly "don't...
So we start our descent
And watch while the tour in front of us get their history lesson
Sort of like this picture. Note the up high storage...
Most of this adobe work is original ... which just blows...
They figured about 300 people lived here ... there were...
A few into the valley (where the water is found) from...
It's amazing to me that we are allowed to stomp around...
Interested observer
Leaving it behind
One last look into a kiva, which has a fire pit (large...
Better view of the pillars the roof rested on.
Time to head up the hill
View looking back ... this structure was four and five...
This is the path developed by the WPA to exit the area. ...
I think I have my hand in one of the hollows.
..which is not how I'm getting out
Our inveterate travelers chilling in the lobby of the BW...
Our trusty chariot parked at the BW in Durango. ...
Outside the BW lobby in Durango
Jeppesen Terminal at Denver International Airport. ...
Katie (former roommate from Texas), Daniel (classmate at...
Daniel in Breckenridge.
Big, yellow, humorous signs are all the rage,...
Catherine boards down a wide run at Breckenridge (I'm...
Snowboarding: it's so last year.
Caption: why am I not on skis?
It's been a thing at my office for months that I really...
So naturally, I went and petted their noses.
I admit: these might not classify as "ponies" by most...
Ice sculpture in the base village at Keystone.
Ready to start the day! Back on skis to celebrate at...
Katie gets ready to attack the mountain.
So much at the resort, I am sure, has changed, but at...
Katie on the River Run Gondola headed up the main...
The real reason I came back to Keystone: to ski Schoolmarm.
It was an absolutely beautiful day for it, too.
Daniel with the Rockies (and some newbie skiers).
Looking down Schoolmarm.
Daniel and I wanted to work on our mogul skills, so we...
I took this photo to show the beautiful scenery, but...
Looking out at the mountains around the Keystone resort...
I couldn't remember which of my goggles don't fit well...
Almost alpenglow time.
Sunset at Keystone.
More horses!
Catherine with the Keystone logo in ice.
Breckenridge as viewed from the road into town (on our...
Saturday night, two friends who live in Denver came up...
Sunday morning we got up, ate, packed, and headed out...
A failed group photo attempt.
Better job, in getting all of us, but the first is a...
Daniel at the top of the T-Bar. After our first ride...
Stam and Daniel.
This photo probably would have been better if the...
Daniel cruising down a wide open and empty black off the...
Awkward shot of Catherine on the same run.
Daniel and Catherine. We ended up liking these trails...
View from the top of the T-Bar at Breckenridge. Unlike...
View towards the very top of the mountain from the top...
Remember those beautiful pictures? Well, every other...
Andrew coming off the top of a jump with some great...
Final run of the day - looking back up at the top of...
Ute canyon in Colorado National Monument
At an overlook for Ute Canyon.
Hiking in Ute canyon.
Separation between Fallen Rock (more like a tower) and...
Big crack.
John working on some off-width.
Climb over this way called 99 Feet Of Joy.
Big crack on Fallen Rock.
Monica climbing either Mojito or Mai Tai.
Fallen Rock.
Monica with some precambrian sandstone in the...
I think this is the Astrobunny climbing area of Ute Canyon.
Sun starts to come out on our hike.
Formations viewed from the rim trail of Colorado...
Looking northwest at the main formations of the park.
Monica being silly.
And more serious.
Independence Monument. In 1911, the park's caretaker...
Independence Monument, from the other side. John Otto on...
Another formation in Independence National Monument.
Monica contemplating tomorrow's climb.
Pondering the yonder.
The route goes up the shadowy part toward the middle,...
Monica at one of the observation platforms.
Big horn sheep! We saw a herd of at least 20.
Zoomed in a bit.
A balanced rock near the north entrance to the park.
Closer shot of a big horn sheep.
On Sunday morning, Monica and I headed into the park to...
Hiking in was a pleasant 45-60 minute hike through...
More big horn sheep, if you can spot them. Wondering if...
Independence Monument.
Monica pointing out our objective once again.
Independence Monument is long and flat. From this angle...
Monica, belaying me for the first (mostly 4th class)...
It's a popular destination. Looking up at a few climbers...
John being a goofball on lunchbox ledge. We had about...
View from lunchbox ledge of a pair of climbers on pitch 4.
John, and Independence Monument... at the end of pitch 2...
Climber with a large pack struggles with the final 5.9+...
Here comes Monica, top of the 3rd pitch. Note the...
From the top of the 4th pitch, looking down at Monica...
Similar to the above.
Monica, climbing the "chipped" stairs in a low-angle but...
On the summit of Independence Monument. A group of...
Monica, signing the summit register (kept in a somewhat...
Summit register at the top of Independence Monument.
Monica, standing in a pothole. A few actually had water...
Kissing Couple (center) and a few other formations in...
Formation due north of Independence Monument. Think I...
As seemed to become a feature of this trip, once on top...
Posing for a photo on the north edge of the summit.
Aforementioned flagpole and various equipment for the...
Waiting our turn to descend. There had to be close to 10...
Still enjoying the view and the weather.
Desert pothole, filled with several inches of water on...
Monica, downclimbing 10 feet to the final anchor while I...
Monica on rappel from (10 feet below) the summit.
2 ropes tied together brought us back to the base of...
Rappelling from the top of the second pitch. 2 unknown...
Monolith Spire, a fully detached spire from the canyon...
Monolith Spire was really calling our siren song. I...
John from the belay ledge/stance at the top of Pitch 1...
John, attempting an unknown off-width climb at the back...
Got a good leg jam.
View of another hand/fist crack on Monolith Spire.
Monica attempting the start.
Monolith Spire, also known as The Catchers Mitt, for the...
Another climbing area back toward the beginning of the...
Monica and the base of a couple splitter hand cracks.
Monica on the approach to some other cracks.
Climbing a bombay offwidth to fist crack on our way out...
Sunset over Colorado National Monument Sunday night....
Monica rappelling down our last route of the day.
It's a snake! On the hike out from Colorado National Monument.
Rock formations on the hike out.
John bouldering on a short hand crack.
Going for the top (this part was easy).
With the moon.
Cliff band at sunset.
Some slabs along the approach.
Balanced rock in Garden of the Gods
Better view of its balancing nature
It's the one on the right; one of the first sights you...
Better yet, backed away from it.
Dad was thinking of climbing up on it, but stopped at this point
So I took a picture without him on it.
Guess I was fascinated by the places where it didn't touch.
My standard question: how do they know ... in this case...
The first sights further in reminded me of Sedona.
Throughout this trip I felt that Colorado was red and...
Notice the little peep hole near the top, just right of center
And a closer look of it, with an anthromorphic melted...
And the famous "what is this" picture. I think of it as...
Or, possible a pumpkin, where the former hooked nose is...
A view down into the GotG
An unusual formation, in color and shape, from the...
Perhaps my favorite view of the Garden.
I like the previous better than this because of the...
The most recent addition to the Denver Art Museum,...
The first building of the Denver Art Museum. designed...
View of downtown Denver from the steps of the Civic Center park
A little closer view. We recognized the Sheraton from...
The City and County of Denver Building. I spent many...
Opposite the City and County Building is the State...
Another view of Ponti's art castle. I like it better...
Inside of the Brown Palace Hotel where I first stayed...
The outside of the Brown Palace, also under...
Certainly a more modern building. Don't know what it...
Jeff, Monica's cousin, discussing the stores on Pearl...
This had been the Boulder City Hall on Pearl Street. ...
Setting off for a hike from Bear Lake trailhead in Rocky...
Traversed RMNP through cloud / drenching rain. Came...
I was way zoomed in, and did not get good pictures, but...
Driving south out of the Park saw some pretty rolling hills.
Passed through lovely Aspen groves on our way to St...
Loved the depth of these tree scenes
I think this is my favorite. Interesting both John and...
Two folks frolicking among the aspens.
The creek running through St Elmo.
And looking up it.
The school house in St Elmo, being restored as part of...
St Elmo is nestled into the surrounding hillsides where...
A two-seater?
Another shot of the stream
Downtown St Elmo
Some denizens of the town. It seems we can either catch...
... or the squint. Family trait
Front on view of one of the main buildings.
Arrived at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP just in...
But they will be closing in on us shortly.
Cliffs at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison
With the Gunnison running "green" like the Colorado in...
Pretty craggy area
View of the canyon walls that rise up above Ouray
Around the area that becomes the Ice Park in Ouray. The...
Chilling out in Ouray, and thinking about a winter trip.
View of Ouray from the road heading south out of town;...
Old town hall in Silverton Colorado. Gold dome - a...
Typical scene (when it wasn't raining) for most of our...
A lot of "vistas" that weren't there, because of the clouds.
We understand there were some towering peaks above this...
An alpine lake, Molas Lake, surrounded by high peaks -...
Explanation for the makeup of the terraced areas around...
The wild flowers were thriving, even if the tourists weren't.
Want to find the name of these.
Did discover that this is known as False Hellebore - one...
... which may be why the wild life let it grow to good heights.
Personally, I liked the looks of it
Our trusty vehicle showing a little of the wear and...
Perhapps more fittingly known as Cloud Bank Pass
A delicate looking plant along the road side - known as...