Welcome to my photographic adventures. Colorado is a photographer's dream with massive mountain peaks, brilliant fall colors and incredible sunrise/sunsets.
Garden of the Gods
I've tried so many times to photograph Garden of the Gods near Colorado Springs but with no success. Sometimes they're no clouds and sometimes there is no sun. This morning was incredible with the sunrise transforming the clouds into beautiful colors and the red rocks are glowing brilliantly!
Mesa Arch
There are so many things to do in the Moab area that even a week was not enough time to accomplish everything. I left five of the mornings before 4:30 AM to photograph a sunrise and was only disappointed one time. I went to Mesa Arch the day before but there was a layer of clouds hiding the sun. Our last morning in Moab I reached Mesa Arch 1.5 hours before sunrise to improve my chances of getting a good spot to photograph through the arch. Within 10 minutes a second photographer came and by sunrise a total of 40 photographers crunched together hoping to capture the sunrise. The orange glow under the arch is actually the sunlight reflecting off the red rocks at the base of Mesa Arch rather than directly from the sunrise. There is something about the calm, beauty of God's nature that keeps me in awe and excited for the next adventure! You can view more photos of Moab at http://www.marblejones.com/p505280945
Tower Arch
This was my first trip to Tower Arch in Arches National Park. You drive to the far side of park and then take a dirt road for eight miles to the trailhead. The hike is just under two miles to the arch and well worth it. I got there in plenty of time to set up the tripod and enjoy the changing colors as the setting sun hit the red rocks. After taking a bunch of pictures I packed up and headed back to the truck just as darkness set in. The only problem was I couldn't find the cairns (stack of rocks) that guide you on the trail and wondered around in the dark for an hour getting more anxious by the minute. I decided to head back to the arch and either wait for help or try to find the trail again at the arch. After much frantic prayer I made it back to the arch and found the trail heading back. It took me 40 minutes to hike in and just over two hours to hike back. You can view more photos of Moab at http://www.marblejones.com/p505280945
Turret Arch
I always hope for great light when visiting Arches National Park. Friday the 13th turned out to be my lucky day while photographing this sunrise of Turret Arch looking through North Window Arch. South Window Arch is visible in the background. You can view more photos of Moab at http://www.marblejones.com/p505280945
Chasm Lake Winter Camping
Geoff Isaak and I started the Longs Peak Trailhead 10:00 AM Friday morning and reached Chasm Lake at 4:00 PM having to use micro spikes about 90% of the way. The trailhead begins at 9,405' with 2,398' elevation gain ending at Chasm Lake (11,803'). Longs Peak's iconic northeast-facing "Diamond" rises 2,456' above this placid alpine lake. Chasm Lake is at the base of Mt. Meeker (13,911), Longs Peak (14,259') and Mount Lady Washington (13,281'). We camped Friday night with a massive blowing wind all night. I got up Saturday morning and scrambled up .2 miles from our campsite with a headlamp and micro spikes in the dark to enjoy another beautiful sunrise on Longs Peak. It was awesome being able to hike across the frozen lake and get a different view from the summer time. I'm a firm believer in North Face equipment. The -20 Inferno goose down sleeping bag keeps me warm and the Mountain 25 Tent withstood the incredible winds we faced. When we were taking the North Face Mountain 25 tent down Saturday morning we even got to use it as a kite as it broke away from our grip and before we knew it was flying high in the sky over Mount Lady Washington and who knows how many other mountains--we lost sight of it.