Ouray, Colorado.

It isn’t often that I get a second chance to photograph a popular site on our travels. In 2021, we drove the Million Dollar Highway, a scenic route known for its stunning views and dramatic drop-offs. You can visit my post about this popular scenic highway here.

In September 2023, we left the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and headed toward U.S. Highway 550, the Million Dollar Highway. That journey allowed me to improve my photography of the popular waterfall, which is only a short drive from Ouray.

Bear Creek Falls is hidden underneath an amazing bridge that spans a gorge in the rocks, which was a real challenge for the original road builders. I referenced that story in the Million Dollar Highway post mentioned above. From underneath that bridge, the falls plunge 200 feet (61 m) into the Uncompahgre Gorge, making it a truly impressive sight.

There is a parking area and viewing platform just off the highway, making it easy to see the falls. The falls are accessible year-round, but the best time to visit is in the spring when the runoff is high, and the falls are at their most powerful. The falls can freeze in the winter, creating a dramatic ice formation.

Be aware that climbing or hiking near the falls is dangerous. The rocks can be slippery, and there is a significant drop-off. If you want to get a closer look at the falls from below, a few guided hikes are available in the area.

About the photo: When I captured the falls from the same vantage point in 2021, I captured a single image with my Nikon D500. During this visit to the falls, I used my Samsung S23U camera and captured three successive images from the top to the bottom of the falls. If you compare the two images, the major improvement in the panoramic image here is that I could include more detail at the base of the falls where the creek continues on from its fall.

One advantage, dear reader, you cannot see from the photo here on my blog or on my Flickr site, where it is posted in 2K HD, is that the final image before online compression is larger than 4K HD. Using a guide to printing on high-resolution media, the final photo merge before compression would create a 12×16 high-quality print at 300 dpi. I don’t plan to print this image, so my major goal was achieved when I included more of the waterfall’s base than in my photo from two years earlier.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s also acceptable. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment. Oh, you don’t have to post it on a Sunday.

John Steiner

Montrose, Colorado.

It’s not your typical canyon. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison stands out for its landscape of staggering extremes: deep, steep, and narrow. OK, I lifted the term “deep, steep, and narrow” from the National Park website. How else could I describe this beautiful canyon?

Created by the 180-mile-long (290 km) Gunnison River, the canyon is but one section of the river, which is the state’s second-largest by volume and a major tributary of the Colorado River. The “River of Contrasts” winds through Colorado from its headwaters along the Continental Divide to its confluence with the Colorado River near Grand Junction.

The Gunnison River’s most iconic section is undoubtedly the Gunnison National Park’s Black Canyon. The sheer walls plunge more than 2,000 feet (610 m) below the rim, making it one of the deepest canyons in the United States. The narrowness of the canyon, with some sections just 40 feet (12 m) wide at the rim, is a photographer’s delight.

The South Rim Road is a 12-mile scenic route with numerous pullouts offering breathtaking vistas of the canyon depths. Most require a short (a few hundred yards at most) walk to the edge. Three overlooks are handicapped accessible: Pulpit Rock, Chasm View, and Sunset View. This post features images captured from several overlooks, though I neglected to identify them as I took the pictures.

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park offers a variety of activities for visitors, though due to its steep and rugged nature, many activities are focused on sightseeing and scenic appreciation.

Hikers will enjoy their journey on well-maintained trails that range from easy strolls to challenging adventures. The Warner Point Trail is popular, providing stunning views from a high overlook. For a more strenuous hike, try the Oak Flat Loop Trail, which winds through juniper and piñon forests.

The short hikes to the overlooks were as strenuous as we wanted them to be. However, for those seeking a more extreme challenge, the Black Canyon offers opportunities for:

Rock Climbing: The canyon walls are a haven for experienced rock climbers, with challenging routes for all skill levels.

Kayaking and Rafting: Skilled paddlers can navigate the Gunnison River through the canyon’s depths. Permits are required for this activity.

Backpacking: Backpack through the remote wilderness of the inner canyon. Permits and proper planning are essential for this challenging adventure.

Road improvement projects at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park began in March 2024 and continue through 2025. These much-needed improvements will significantly impact access to the park. Visitors can expect some travel delays during their visit, and there will be a significantly reduced number of parking spots at some locations during construction.

After we visited Black Canyon, we headed on our planned route. In writing this post, I learned about the Curecanti National Recreation Area, a stunning swathe of land overseen by the National Park Service on the western slope of Colorado’s Rocky Mountains. When you are planning your trip, you might also consider visiting Curecanti.

I went crazy with my cell phone and Nikon D500 cameras in the park. On my Flickr site here, I’ve posted many more images captured on our scenic drive along the south rim of the canyon. All Flickr images are posted in 2K HD, and the Nikon images are processed in 3-image brackets via Lightroom Classic’s High Dynamic Range (HDR) tool. You can find more information here about the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.

John Steiner

Durango, Colorado.

One of the places in Durango, Colorado that tourists like to visit is the Diamond Belle Saloon. The saloon has a long and colorful history. It was originally built in 1887 as the Strater-Thorpe Drugstore and was owned by Dr. Charles Thorpe. The drugstore was a popular gathering place for locals and tourists and was also used as a meeting place for the local Masons.

In 1957, the drugstore was converted into a saloon by Earl Barker Jr., the son of the Strater Hotel’s owner. Barker wanted to create a saloon that would evoke the atmosphere of the Old West, and he named it after the Diamond Belle, a famous stagecoach that ran between Durango and Silverton.

Just a couple of blocks from the Durango-Silverton Railroad Terminal, the Strater Hotel is the home of the Diamond Belle. The Strater was built in 1887 and is one of the oldest hotels in the state. The six-story building features 88 rooms decorated in an Old West style, with antique furniture and Western artwork.

Notable guests in the hotel include President Teddy Roosevelt, Wyatt Earp, Buffalo Bill Cody, Tom Mix, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr. among many others.

The Strater is a historic landmark and a popular destination for people who visit Durango and want to enjoy an old-west-style experience. In 1887, Henry Strater, a pharmacist from Cleveland, Ohio built the hotel. Strater had a vision of building a grand hotel in Durango, which was at the time a booming mining town. The hotel was built for $70,000 and was originally called the Strater Grand Hotel.

The hotel was an immediate success. It was the largest hotel in Durango and was a popular destination for tourists and businesspeople. In 1893, the city was hit by the Silver Panic, a financial crisis that led to the collapse of the mining industry in Durango. The hotel was forced to close its doors and was eventually sold.

The building remained closed until 1926 when it reopened under new ownership. Over the years, the most recent owners, The Barker Family made several improvements to the hotel, including adding a new wing and renovating the rooms. The hotel has also been featured in several movies and television shows, including “The Rifleman” and “The Wild Wild West”. Today, the Strater Hotel is a popular tourist destination and a favorite among locals. The hotel is also a living history museum, where Durango’s past lives on.

John Steiner

Durango, Colorado.

It’s about time I got around to sharing my images from our visit to Durango in July 2021. In October 2021, I shared photos of the journey on the narrow-gauge railroad excursion from Durango to Silverton here.

A couple of days after our excursion, we visited downtown Durango and stopped at the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad (D&SNG) Museum. Crossing the tracks to the museum entrance, Engine 481 was just begging to be my opening image. In 2023, there’s just one coal-burning train left at D&SNG, which is number 481. The other trains have either switched to using oil or have been taken out of service. Engine 481 will keep using coal until its current period for using its flue (exhaust pipe) time expires. After that, it will eventually be changed to use oil instead of coal. More details about the 481 can be found here.

Probably the oldest engine on display at the museum is Engine 42. Previously numbered 420, the engine weighs in at 35 tons. It was one of only six of its class manufactured by Baldwin Locomotive Works. Baldwin was the world’s largest producer of steam locomotives and operated from 1825 to 1951 when it was merged with the Lima Locomotive Works.

Many families and old railroad workers have donated or provided artifacts that tell the history of railroading, especially on the Denver and Rio Grande Western (D&RGW) line. The 12,000-square-foot (1114 sq m) museum is the final result of a devastating fire that destroyed the D&SNG roundhouse in 1989. That roundhouse, constructed in 1881, was replaced by a 15-stall roundhouse that holds the distinction of being the only narrow gauge roundhouse built in the 20th century. The museum occupies eight of the stalls in the rebuilt facility.

So, I’m not good at taking notes, and I am not positive that this is the engineer’s view of Engine 42 when it is in operation. There are other engines on display at the museum, but these two images were captured within a few minutes of each other. Next time, I’ll take better notes. (Probably not! >grin<

In the museum, an 800-square-foot (74 sq m) area was reserved in 1998 to create a model railroad. The space for the model railroad was donated as a shell in 1998 and brought to life by thousands of volunteer hours. The model depicts the 1950s operations of the Denver & Rio Grande Western Railroad (D&RGW), which was a major railroad in the American West.

The model railroad is operated by a team of volunteers who use a variety of techniques to create a realistic setting. The trains are powered by a computer-controlled system that allows them to run on a variety of tracks and through a variety of scenery. The model also includes a variety of sound effects, such as the sound of trains whistling and the sound of steam locomotives chugging.

The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum is a great place to learn about the history of the D&RGW and to experience the excitement of narrow gauge railroading. If you plan to take one of Colorado’s most popular train excursions between Durango and Silverton, be sure to leave some time in your schedule to visit the museum. Admission is free. More details about the museum can be found here. You can pixel-peep at the images in my gallery by visiting my Flickr album here.

John Steiner

Eldorado Springs, Colorado.

About 10 minutes south of Boulder, a jewel of a park invites visitors to come and hike or rock climb. If you’re not into either of those activities, you can choose to simply drive through the park and enjoy the views. You can expect, though, to stop along the way and take a few photographs of the mountains and South Boulder Creek. Getting to the park is easy from the Denver-Boulder Turnpike (U.S. 36.) The exit from the turnpike is a bit funky, so watch for the signs. You will want to take Colorado State Route 170.

Bring a picnic lunch if you plan to stay all day, and the park is open all year round, but you will need to reserve an arrival slot during the busy summer season. Weekends are especially busy. On weekends and holidays during the busy season, though, there is a free shuttle service from U.S. 36 and McCaslin Blvd.

The visitor center is closed Mondays, but otherwise, it is open from 10 am to 4 pm daily. Your mileage may vary, however. We attempted to stop at the visitor’s center on the day of our visit, but it was closed. We were there on a Wednesday during their open hour time, but a note on the website also qualifies their hours with “when staffing is available.”

You can purchase an annual pass online, or you can buy a day pass either at the park entrance station or a self-pay kiosk. As of this writing, a vehicle pass is $10, and an individual pass is $4. More details can be found here.

We discovered as we drove through the park how popular it is for rock climbing. There are over five hundred technical rock climbing routes on the picturesque cliffs and trails for hikers are connected to the Boulder trail system. Can you find the climber in the image above? You may need to click on the image to view it in 2K HD from my Flickr page.

Though we didn’t see any wildlife on our journey through the park, there are mule deer, bears, bobcats, elk, and mountain lions spotted in the foothills around the canyon. Fishermen will enjoy catching several varieties of trout and other native species. Many birds also live in or migrate through the canyon each year.

At one point we parked the car and spent quite some time watching the climbers as they made their way up the cliff walls. Most of the images I captured that day included climbers on the many rock faces we drove or walked by.

Hikers can find plenty of trail options listed on the park’s website. Most trails are multi-use, open to horses, bikes, and other non-motorized equipment in addition to hikers. The longer trails are just over 3.5 miles (5.6 km) and the easiest trail is open to wheelchairs and strollers. The trail is an out-and-back format for a total length of 1.8 miles (2.9 km) round trip.

As we walked along the edge of the road at one point, I spotted something orange up in a crevice in the rock behind some trees. At first, I couldn’t figure out what it was. Curious, I stopped and watched for a bit.

As the orange object climbed higher in the crevice, I could see it was some kind of sports mascot in costume. Below, hidden in the trees, a group of people was encouraging the mascot to climb higher as they took photographs. When the mascot got to about the point in the photo above, he started moving his head side-to-side in a definite “I’m not climbing any higher” attitude. No amount of encouragement from the group below could persuade him to continue the climb.

Eventually, back at the base of those trees, the mascot picked up his flag and was no doubt happy to be done with his climbing photo shoot. All in all, we spent probably three hours in the park. We attempted to stop at the visitor’s center on the day of our visit, but it was closed. The website says that the center is open Tuesday through Sunday from 10am to 4pm, and closed Mondays. We were there on a Wednesday during their open hour time, but a note on the website also qualifies their hours with “when staffing is available.”

For those who would like to make more than a day trip of visiting Eldorado Canyon, there are campgrounds available near the park. They are listed on the park’s website linked above.

Unfortunately, like more and more public parks, drones are prohibited in the park so I was unable to use my Mavic Air to capture what would likely have been some pretty spectacular scenery from above. You can click on any of the images above to view them in 2k HD on my Flickr site, or you can visit my Flickr album here.

John Steiner

Boulder, Colorado.

Southwest of the city lies Green Mountain and its unusual rock formations that have come to be known as the Flatirons. On the eastern side of the slope, there are five large triangular formations. They are simply identified by the numbers 1 through 5, each triangle angled westward at about 55 degrees.

The triangle-shaped rocks got their name from their resemblance to old-time clothes irons that had no power of their own but were heated on a stove. There are actually many named formations in addition to the five Flatiron formations. There are literally hundreds of hiking routes in the area and climbers are attracted to the many climbable formations on that eastern slope of the mountain.

We stayed on the lowland trails as we had other places to visit, but visitors who want to get up close and personal with Green Mountain can check out Bear Peak where they will find The Seal, Devil’s Thumb, and The Flying Flatiron to name but a few.

As part of Boulder Colorado’s Open Space and Mountain Parks programs, visitors can access the 300 million-year-old formations. Previously known as the Chautauqua Slabs and the Crags, these formations are similar to those found in the Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs.

We started our visit at Chautauqua Park and took a short hike toward the formations via the Chautauqua Trail. The trail leads to many other trail connectors. You can keep going, loop back around, or turn around when you’ve decided it’s time to head back. Two trails that are recommended online are The Flatiron Loop Trail, an easy to moderate 2-mile (3.2 km) hike; and The Royal Arch Trail, about 3 more difficult miles (4.8 km). That trail leads to a scenic rock archway.

For those who are not wanting to hike or climb, there is a restaurant and a historic cottage available to rent right there at Chautauqua Park. There are even guided tours available from Boulder for those looking for structured activities.

All of the images above can be found on my Flickr site. Click on an image to view it in 2K HD, or visit my Flickr album here.

John Steiner

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Last week’s Travel Tuesday took us to Rocky Mountain National Park. It was there I commented that the park’s beautiful scenery begs for panoramic presentations. This week’s post features an entire gallery of panoramic images. I have included 11 images captured using Lightroom’s panorama function, or in several cases, the HDR panorama function. The image above is of Sprague Lake I captured in 2017. I start this gallery with views of lakes and move on to mountains and meadows captured in September 2021.

All of these images can be viewed as a gallery in 2k HD on my Flickr website here. I encourage, you can click on any one of the images to pixel peep in HD and scroll through the gallery. These images look their best in Flickr’s widescreen mode with a black background matte. Check them out in an almost fullscreen view.

John Steiner

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

Beautiful mountain lakes, grassy meadows, and spectacular mountain panoramas. There is plenty of variety in this park not too far from Denver and just outside of Estes Park, Colorado. Like many U.S. National Parks, during the summer, reservations are required for entry at a specific time, so planning your arrival is essential. This park can get crowded, but it wasn’t bad when we selected to arrive last September on our annual fall trip.

There are two entrances from the east near the city of Estes Park, Highway 34 and Highway 36, but a short distance inside the park, highway 36 ends as it intersects with 34. From there, that single road meanders through valleys and peaks eventually exiting at Kawuneeche Visitor Center on the west side of the park. Of course, there are many viewpoints, campgrounds, and trailheads along the way. The image above features a view of the highway as it winds through the lowlands. We were stopped at a viewpoint higher up along the road.

At first, I was going to reject this image of the high plains meadows as the dark areas on the mountains made it look like I shot through a closed car window. Then I realized that the dark areas are just shadows of the clouds on the ground.

In the summer, the beauty of the high mountains is on full display for all who visit. There is magic in the winter as well, but it requires extra planning and awareness of the fact that winter weather can make the road snow-packed and icy. Road closures outside the park could also affect your arrival time in the park. On the bright side, winter reservations are not necessary.

Except for taking a short feeder road to Sprague Lake, we stayed along the main highway and captured the images in this gallery along the way. Weekend trips are challenging in the summer only because of the large crowds. The Bear Lake Road area has a separate reservation and on the day we reserved, and even though we arrived on a Tuesday, we couldn’t get a permit to enter the Bear Lake corridor. Reserve early and expect to arrive in your reservation window.

Hikers are best advised to hike early or late in the day. The trailhead parking areas fill up fast in the mornings, and as hikers finish their day hikes, leave the parking area open for other visitors. The lots, however, are mostly full through the mid-day hours. Only if you are lucky enough to arrive just as someone is leaving, you will be able to secure a place to park.

We spent some time at Sprague Lake as we did a few years ago, back then, we visited on a November day when snow and ice were plentiful. I wanted to capture some summer views of the lake.

Sprague Lake has a nice trail that is short and is simply a path around the lake. It affords many views of the mountains around this high-altitude lake.

This is probably my favorite summer photo of the lake. I was struck by how the ripples in the water made the clouds look like an artist’s brush strokes.

I end this post with a view of the higher Rockies that ring the park. For more information on making a trip to this beautiful park, you’ll find the park’s website here. This photo gallery was processed in Lightroom and Luminar Neo in 2K HD. You can click on any image to view it full size, or you can click here to see the entire gallery on my Flickr site.

Rocky Mountain National Park, however, begs to be photographed in panoramic vistas like the one in the opening photo of this post. Next week I will present an entire post featuring only panoramic images created on that beautiful autumn day in the park. I will also include a winter panorama of Sprague Lake to give you an opportunity to see the lake in November from a few years ago.

John Steiner

Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado.

On a late summer day, we visited Rocky Mountain National Park in 2021. In a couple of weeks, I will share some of the images I captured there. All of those images were captured with my Nikon D500, some of them in a completely new post featuring 6- through 12-image panoramic photos stitched in high dynamic range (HDR) via Lightroom. I always take a few moments to capture some high-resolution celpics as well.

Sprague Lake features a half-mile walk around the lake with boardwalks and bridges. If you like trout fishing, you may find this lake a proper place to fish. The lake is named after Abner Sprague, a homesteader who eventually opened a lodge that became the Sprague Hotel in 1915 when the area became part of Rocky Mountain National Park. The hotel no longer exists, but the lake, created by a dam placed by Sprague to improve fishing, still attracts many visitors every year.

About the photo: This image was captured in 12,000×9000 pixel mode (108 MP) on my Samsung S20U with 1/750 sec, F/1.8, ISO-16 in automatic mode. I used Adobe Lightroom for basic edits and Luminar Neo for final tweaks. It was reduced for publication here, but if you click on the image, you can view it in 2K HD on my Flickr site.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment.

John Steiner

Mount Evans, Colorado.

In March 2022, I shared images of the highest paved road in North America, the road to the summit of Mount Evans. You can read about that scenic drive here. On that drive, I used my Nikon for most images, but knowing I always need images for the Cellpic Sunday challenge, I captured a few images from my cell phone.

That highway, (which is typically open from Memorial Day to Labor Day), climbs to 14,260 feet (4,346 m) in elevation and you will pass a couple of lakes on the way up. As you can see in the photo above, Echo Lake parallels the highway. It is close to the park’s entrance station, and you can stop there to fish or simply enjoy the lake on a warm summer day. On our way to the peak, we stopped at a pull-off and I captured this image of the lake from above.

About the photo: Captured on my Samsung S20U, the hazy day presented a challenge for the camera. Using the haze filter in Adobe Lightroom helped to make those ridges in the background a bit clearer, and Luminar Neo’s AI function helped to add some contrast and punch to the fore- and mid-grounds of the image.

I encourage fellow bloggers to create their own Cellpic Sunday posts. I never have a specific topic for this feature, and the only rules are that the photo must be captured with a cell phone, iPad, or another mobile device… If you have an image from a drone or even a dashcam, that’s acceptable as well. The second rule is to link your challenge response to this post or leave a comment here with a link to your post in the comment.

John Steiner