As a very small boy living in Walsenburg Colorado, I could look out our window and see these mountains. They have been special to me ever since.
I do not remember saying this because I was very young, but it was one of my mother’s favorite stories from my early childhood. The first snow fall in the high country was my first time to see snow. I looked out our window at the Spanish Peaks and I said “Momma, momma, momma! Look at the sugar on the mountains!”
Years later, married, and with our children almost grown, we were driving from Denver Colorado to Yukon Oklahoma. We took the long route, taking U.S. 285 southwest out of Denver, through South Park (for which the TV show is named) and Fairplay, over the mountains toward Buena Vista, and on down 285 through the San Luis Valley past the Great Sand Dunes. This little sight seeing adventure added several hours to our already long trip home.
After this dose of Colorado high country, we took U.S. 160 east to get back to I-25. That took us just a few miles north of LaVeta Colorado.
As we came down out of the mountains the LaVeta street lights were on and beautiful evening light was shining on the Spanish Peaks. I just had to stop and take a picture. It was very cold and there was a brisk wind coming down out of the mountains. I took off my gloves to work the camera controls and my hands were getting numb during the long (several seconds) exposures. I finished one roll of slide film and put in another brand and took more pictures.
When I thought I had done the best job I could do, trying different camera angles, compositions, and exposures, I got back in the car and we drove on down the road.
When we got home to Oklahoma I couldn’t wait to get the film back from the lab. When it arrived, I like both brands of film but decided I like the Fuji Velvia rendition of the color a little better than the Kodak Ektachrome slides.
This is my favorite image for March 8. It is also one of my all time favorite landscape images for emotional as well as artistic reasons.
If you are in southern Colorado they are a worthwhile photo destination. The Highway of Legends Scenic Byway will take you around the Spanish Peaks.
There are two photos taken on March 8 in my “favorite photos” folder. This is the other one. Sunny jumped up in my lap and I grabbed my iPhone and took a picture.
This found its way into the favorites folder (even though Sunny is out of focus) because I like the humor in the image. It is as if he is saying “Pay attention to me and not that guy on the TV.” I probably turned off the TV and took Sunny for his afternoon walk.
Links
Series: Favorite Photos by Date
The Spanish Peaks at Sangres.com
Highway of Legends Scenic Byway