As I look back over 2019, I feel fortunate. I had some incredible opportunities to spend time in a few of our country’s most amazing photography destinations. Some were popular places, in danger of being loved to death. Others were just as special, but not as well known, the kinds of places that creep up on you and get under your skin. Forever.
I thought I’d make a Top Ten list, it being close to the New Year and all. But I found I couldn’t narrow it down to just ten places. So I came up with a baker’s dozen. Then my post was too long. So I broke it into parts 1 and 2, the Rambling Ranger’s favorite photography destinations of 2019. Here is Part 1.
13) Elkhorn Slough / Moss Landing
This spot is one of those best-kept secrets. It’s a location that skates by under the radar on a coastline filled with destinations that are a bit TOO popular (Big Sur, Point Lobos, Monterey). Although Elkhorn Slough doesn’t have the flashy scenery of those more fashionable destinations, the wildlife watching here is fabulous. Look for a plethora of shorebirds. The main draw, however, is the sea otters. This just may be the best place on the Pacific coast to observe those cute little critters.
Sea Otter Waving
12) Death Valley National Park
I spent most of March in Death Valley. I had committed myself months earlier to leading a few hikes there, before I could predict where the best desert wildflowers would be. The flowers were very late in Death Valley, with only a few blooming in March. It drove me a little crazy to be stuck there, as I knew that both Anza-Borrego and Joshua Tree were experiencing exceptional blooms.
But the great thing about Death Valley is that it is an amazing photography destination even if there are no flowers blooming. The austere beauty and diversity of landscapes offer endless opportunities for inspiration and creativity. I saw a few new places and revisited a lot of old favorites, too.
Death Valley National Park
11) Southern Colorado Rockies
I had a short housesit in Durango over Thanksgiving this year. It’s always a blessing to spend time in southern Colorado. I love that edge environment, where the mountains meet the desert, giving you the best of both worlds. From the Great Sand Dunes to the many hot springs, from the jagged ragged peaks of the Rockies to the mesas and canyons of the Colorado Plateau, there were so many choices, all within a day’s drive of my base in Durango. The southern Colorado Rockies are another place I find myself returning to, again and again.
Durango is beautiful.
10) Denali Highway
This is one of my favorite places to see the fall colors in Alaska. And Alaska often has some OUTRAGEOUS fall colors! The blueberries are pretty incredible on the Denali Highway, too! Late August to early September is the time frame to aim for if you want to see the tundra put on its fancy dancin’ clothes. Special bonus: You might get lucky and see that visual symphony, the Aurora, too!
Fall colors along the Denali Highway
9) Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky has a special place in my heart because I lived in both Estes Park and Grand Lake long ago in my younger days. I was fortunate to land a housesit in Allenspark, at the southwest corner of Rocky Mountain National Park, in October. It was a blast from the past, revisiting the environment that first instilled in me my deep love of the mountains.
Rocky is one of the best places in the country to catch the elk rut. It is also home to superb alpine scenery, wonderful hikes, and brilliant aspens. One thing to keep in mind – like Arches and Zion, this park is in the process of being loved to death. Be aware of your impact. Choose the trail less traveled. Give the animals their space and leave no trace so that we can all continue to enjoy Rocky for generations to come.
My old stomping grounds
8) Point Pinos
Storm watching. Big waves. That’s why Point Pinos, in Pacific Grove, California, made my list. This is the first place I’ve ever been at all successful at capturing the essence of the power of the ocean. The surf here is awesome, in the original sense of that word.
Pacific Grove was also a place of great sadness for me, where I witnessed the crash of ecosystems, both terrestrial and maritime. The near-extinction of the Monarch Butterfly and the exponential effects of sea star wasting and a warming ocean were only too apparent during my stay here. Although it was heartbreaking, I felt it was important to be a witness.
Point Pinos is a great place to watch the big waves.
7) Tucson, Arizona
There’s a reason why Arizona sunsets are famous. I swear they’re the most lurid sunsets I’ve ever seen! I love the cacti, too, stately saguaro and crazy cholla. I spent a few weeks in Tucson on a housesit last February and was surprised at how much I liked it since I’m not much of a city girl. But national and state parks abound, as well as other great open spaces.
Crazy cholla
These were just a few of my favorite photo destinations for 2019. I’ll let you in on the rest by New Year’s Eve. What were some of yours? Let me know in the comments!
The Peak-to-Peak Highway is one of my favorite Colorado scenic byways. My recent sojourn down this beautiful road was an incredible trip down memory lane, scenic but also big on nostalgia.
The Peak-to-Peak is the closest access to Colorado’s alpine for folks living in the northwest Denver/Boulder metro area. Since that’s where I grew up, this road was once my favorite way into the high country.
You can sometimes catch this kind of action going on in downtown Estes Park.
The route starts (or ends) in Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. I spent 2 summers there in my early twenties, the first mountain town I ever lived in.
In a landscape created by the rubble left behind by ancient glaciers, lumpy ridges and random boulders painted with lichens form the bones of the land. Stately Ponderosa pines and small groves of aspen adorn huge, park-like meadows, superb habitat for herds of elk. Tromping the trails whenever I had a chance, this country crept deep into my soul as I made the transformation from a city kid to a mountain woman.
Long’s Peak
Shortly after passing Lily Lake south of Estes, there’s a turnoff to reach the Long’s Peak trailhead. Long’s Peak is the northernmost fourteener (mountain over 14,000 ft.). in Colorado It was the first fourteener I ever climbed.
It’s a scramble, not a trail, to get to the top. The climb turned into an epic adventure when we were caught near the summit by a quick-moving thunderstorm. Torrents of hail felt like ball bearings under our feet as we charged down the slippery scree-covered slope. I watched a bolt of lightning break off a chunk of the mountain the size of a small house and send it crashing down on the slope below. Intense.
The Peak-to-Peak provides access to many other alpine adventures. Trails in the Wild Basin area near Allenspark travel along creeks filled with cascading waterfalls to pristine lakes. Climb higher, above the treeline, and immerse yourself in a tapestry of tiny tundra wildflowers.
Walk by waterfalls in Wild Basin
Indian Peaks Wilderness
The Indian Peaks Wilderness lies south of Rocky Mountain National Park, just a few miles west of the highway. I remember the challenges of my first week-long backpacking trip as I revisit Brainard Lake and gaze at the peaks and passes beyond.
When I hiked the Continental Divide one summer a few years later, the Indian Peaks Wilderness was one of my favorite sections. I recall how we spent the best day of the entire trip here, up near Fourth of July Mine and Mt. Neva.
Brainard Lake gateway to the Indian Peaks
The Towns
At the foot of the Indian Peaks, you’ll find a smattering of old mining camps, towns like Ward, Jamestown, and Eldora, ghost towns turned hippie havens. The friendliest and funkiest of them all is Nederland.
It’s definitely a hippie town. It’s the home of the Carousel of Happiness. Nederland was the third community to legalize pot in Colorado, just after Denver and Breckenridge. The locals call themselves Nedheads.
Carousel of Happiness
Nederland celebrates the eclectic and just plain weird. Case in point – the town hosts Frozen Dead Guys Days every March. This festival celebrates the attempt by a local resident to practice a little homemade crionics, stashing his grandfather in a storage shed with a bunch of dry ice, holding out for some future date when the miracles of science could bring him back to life. Some of the fun things to do in Nederland during the festival include coffin races, frozen t-shirt contests, and a polar plunge.
Just past Nederland is Rollinsville. This old railroad town once had a fun bar, the Stage Stop (now a restaurant under new owners). I loved dancing on the timeworn hardwood floor to name acts like Tab Benoit.
The Stage Stop used to host good bands.
Rollinsville also reminds me of my first backpacking disaster. I took my little sister and brother with me to teach them the joys of backpacking. Crossing a creek on an old log, I proceeded to teach them how to prevent hypothermia after the log snapped in two and dumped me in the creek. Then it started to snow. Eventually, the snow turned to rain and came down in torrents. It didn’t stop. In imminent danger of being stranded by flooding, we bailed and hiked out to Rollinsville to beg a ride home.
The Peak-to-Peak is one of the most popular roads in the state when the aspens turn gold. Signs on the highway warn leaf-lookers that they are not allowed to stop in the middle of the road when taking pictures of the fall colors.
Fall Colors
The scenic byway ends at the town of Black Hawk. There aren’t many memories left for me here, though. When I was growing up, Black Hawk and neighboring Central City were practically ghost towns, rich in history but with no economic base to support their residents. The towns sponsored a referendum to allow legalized gambling to create jobs and provide some tax revenue for the county. Now there is an economic base. It seems like a new casino opens up every other week here. The facades of a few of the buildings are all that remain of the old towns.
Black Hawk old & new
Although the Peak-to-Peak may not hold as many memories for you as it does me, it is still well worth the travel. Views of the Continental Divide, golden aspen groves, access to wilderness and a host of delightful communities are just a few of the treasures you will find along the way.
St. Malo Chapel on the Rock is a well-known landmark along the Peak-to-Peak.
For this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge, Tina asks us to focus on things that come in twos. My first inclination is to share some of my wildlife images that double the fun.
Dall Sheep on the Al-Can HighwayElephant Seal CowsBurros nuzzling each other near Rhyolite, NVBison in YellowstoneElk in Rocky Mountain National Park
But I can’t resist adding a few desert wildflowers – because you know me, that’s what I do…
Notch-Leaf PhaceliaDesert Five-SpotCanterbury BellsSand Blazing Star
I’d like to open and close this little exercise with seeing double in the landscape. No. I’m not talking about reflections – that’s a whole ‘nother post. I hope you enjoy seeing double!
Twin crags in the Crystalline Hills tower over the McCarthy Road, Alaska
Autumn is my favorite time of year to visit the big, iconic national parks that adorn the crest of the Rockies – Glacier, Yellowstone, Grand Teton and Rocky Mountain. Fat and happy after a fruitful summer, with sleek new winter coats, this is the prime time of year for most animals.
Moose and elk aren’t the only animals you might see!
I love the beauty of the golden aspens, accented by fresh snow on the high peaks and cerulean blue skies. I love the crisp clean feel of the mountain breezes and the gurgling music of the dancing creeks. But most of all, I love listening to the elk sing.
From the time the shadows fall over the valleys until just after sunrise, the herds hang out in the big meadows in these national parks, a perfect setting for the upcoming wilderness drama.
The moose are calling.
The elk are bugling. The moose are calling. It’s the rut, mating season for ungulates. Challenges are issued, battles fought. If you’re lucky, you just might get a chance to witness the pageant.
The biggest bull elk gather harems, whole herds of cows, and take on all challenges for the exclusive right to mate. The cows are not always willing to be corralled, though. This keeps the bull pretty busy.
Keeping a watchful eye on the harem
Sometimes, while the dominant bull is otherwise occupied either battling a challenger or herding a recalcitrant cow, some sneaky upstart might grab the opportunity to sneak in a quickie. All this makes for some very entertaining wildlife watching.
It’s nice just to watch the elk being elk.
If you plan on visiting the Rocky Mountain national parks during the rut, here are a few things to keep in mind:
1) GIVE THEM SOME SPACE!!! Have a little respect. Remember that wild animals are dangerous. Especially at this time of year, when too much testosterone has these guys feeling really combative. And they’re a lot bigger than you are. Bull moose have been known to charge freight trains. A woman was gored by a bull elk in Estes Park just last week.
Don’t mess with this guy – he’ll kick your ass!
Although these animals are not fearful because they’re not hunted within national park boundaries, they are not tame. This is not a zoo. There is no invisible fence or moat in between you and the animal if they decide you’ve gotten on their last nerve. I see more ignorant, oblivious people out there every year. Do not approach wildlife. Give them a break and give them their space!
Wildlife crossing – Be aware!
2) Drive slow. You will be more likely to see animals camouflaged by their surroundings. More importantly, you’ll be less likely to hit an animal unexpectantly crashing out onto the road during this low light time of day. You’ll be more likely to notice an animal about to cross, affording better chances to catch that lucky shot.
I got this shot by using my car as a blind.
3) Your car can make a great blind. If the wildlife is on or near the road, stay in your car. Don’t stress the animal and endanger your safety. See # 1.
Don’t be like this guy – Back off!
4) Timing is important. You have to meet them where (and when) they are. The early bird catches the worm, or the shot, here. When the sun is out, elk fade into the forest or bed down in the tall grass. All the action happens in the evening and early morning hours.
Calves play at jousting while a bull looks on.
5) Arrive early, stay late. There is more to be gained from this experience than just a few photos. Watch. Listen. Don’t interfere. Stay a little longer. It will be medicine for your soul.
Bull elk in Rocky Mountain National Park
Want to hear the elk bugling but you’re nowhere near the Rockies? Check out these videos on The Nature Conservancy’s blog, Weird Green Science.
