PhotoBlog

Sunrise at Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado

October 27, 2011 by emelynmorris-sayre · Leave a Comment 

Sunrise at the Sand Dunes National Park outside Alamosa, CO, was incredibly
beautiful.  The numerous times that I have visited the park, there have been
thousands of tourists climbing the dunes and hiking the trails. By traveling there
in late October and arriving at 6:30 in the morning, we found ourselves alone to
enjoy the expansive  hills and valleys of white sand.

 Park is Open Year-Round 24 hours a Day

The brisk cold and darkness didn’t deter us as we entered the Great Sand Dunes National Park. In fact, we were so early, no one was manning the entrance gate to the park.  There was a simple sign that asked that we pay as we left.  I didn’t realize the park is open 24 hours a day although there isn’t much to see in complete darkness.  I imagine the night skies are magnificent and there is a campground within the park.

As we passed the well-designed Visitor’s Center heading to the closest parking lot where we could access the dunes, a family of deer ran across the road.  We parked the car, gathered our cameras, tripods and other paraphanalia and trekked out on the sand.  The light was very dim but we could still see so many tracks in the sand. I was disappointed at first thinking that people had been traipsing all over the dunes and that it would be difficult to get some good photographs….but upon closer look, the tracks were all animal…the four legged kind.

A Photographer’s Dream

As the light from the sun peaked over the mountains, the landscape changed by the seconds.  This was a photographer’s dream – beautiful colors, shadows and shapes and no one else around as I composed by shot.  A truly beautiful experience.

 

 

Wildflowers highlight of Colorado mountain hike

July 17, 2011 by emelynmorris-sayre · 3 Comments 

Yesterday, my husband and decided to take a hike with our dog, Jake, to one of the trails recommended in the book, “Best Hikes with Dogs Colorado” by A. Savage. We traveled Highway 70 west to Georgetown, then proceed up Guanella Pass to the trail leading to Silver Dollar Lake. I am glad we went early because we got the last space in the parking lot at the trailhead.

Our backpack was filled with water, a couple of apples and granola bars and raingear. As we hiked upwards towards the 12,000+ elevation, it quickly became apparent to me that I was going to be stopping frequently to photograph the numerous varieties of flowers. This year, we have had an abundance of snowfall and combined with the recent summer rains, the wildflowers were abundant. Botanists report over 100 species bloom along this trail.

As we traversed the south side of the narrow valley, we could see privately owned Lake Naylor at the bottom of the gulch.

Knowing that during the month of July there are several snowfields we would have to cross, I chose to take my pocket-sized Canon camera rather than my Nikon. I was really glad I did as it was very slippery and I lost my balance several times.

In addition to the following flowers, I identified elephant’s ear, shrubby cinquefoil, false solomonseal, American Bistort, sandwort, alpine buttercup, marshmarigold, bighead clover, fireweed, alpine aster, and yellow paintbrush.

The lovely Parry Primrose:

Columbine:

Bluebell: