“On the road again…” Pt. I

[Categories: Photography, Travel, Travel photography, Photography 101 Forever]

Willie Nelson sang that.  More my favorite is “ROAD TRIP!!” as said by Otter and Boon in Animal House.  Whatever.  I’m on the road again, a road trip.

We’re on our way to our first ever visit to the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta in early October. First we see fall colors Colorado-style (it’s all about aspens) at Kenosha Pass before we drive across the high altitude grassland flats of South Park past our old stomping grounds of Fairplay, Colorado.

Kenosha Pass

THE South Park.

Coming out of Trout Creek Pass on U.S. 285 we stop at the overlook to see some Fourteeners (14k+ FASL) of the Collegiate Range.

Mt. Princeton, 14,197 FASL

Mt. Yale, 14,196 Feet Above Sea Level

The BVCC, consisting of the BVMC and the BVCF, adorn the foreground valley. It’s criminal they should have views like that.  Perhaps it is cruel and unusual punishment.

A ways south of Salida and Poncha Springs, by Mineral Hot Springs, we leave 285 for Hwy 17, a straight-as-an-arrow 50 mile shot to Alamosa with what I believe is just one 3-degree right turn near the end.  It is criminal to do only 65 mph on this broad two-lane.  The defense rests.

We check in to our accommodations at the beautiful Alamosa Days Inn for a brief respite and then disregarding Robert Burns and  “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men / Gang aft a-gley.” we keep to our plan of a late afternoon visit to The Great Sand Dunes National Park.

I was facing north to take this picture.  What is odd about it?

To be continued…