A leisurely four hour drive from Aspen to Denver for our return flight to Boston afforded us many great photo opportunities along the way.

Aspen is known to most people as a posh skiing destination for the rich and famous. We are here because of its proximity to iconic Maroon Bells, reportedly the most photographed mountains in North America and a great destination for hiking. A 30 minute drive from Aspen, I arrived well before sunrise to catch the first rays of light painting the peaks. When the aspens are in full fall color, one can expect to find hundreds of photographers lining the banks of Maroon Lake for a chance to get the perfect picture of this American icon.  I was joined by only one other on this cold morning and spent an hour enjoying the solitude and beauty before returning to Aspen for breakfast with Jeanine.  The two of us then returned to the Bells for a morning hike to Crater Lake.

The 4.2 mile out and back trail ascends to 10,000 feet and took us about an hour in each direction traveling across rock falls and through groves of aspens.

During the afternoon we ventured to the abandoned silver mining town of Ashcroft where nine buildings have been preserved and are said to be haunted.  We encountered no ghosts but did see many things that took our breath away.

 

A two hour hike through the Red Rock Canyon Open Space was our first activity for the day.  This city park offers dozens of trails that weave in and around the large rock formations which are part of the same geological uplift that formed the Garden of the Gods.  You can actually follow the spine of rocks connecting the two locations as illustrated in the photo below.

Next it was back to campus for a farewell brunch with Nicolai which paled in comparison to yesterday’s breakfast.  We posed with Nico for a photo using 14,114 foot high Pike’s Peak, visible from virtually everywhere on campus, as a backdrop.  In Nico’s words, “the view never grows old.”

After hanging out for a little while and meeting some of his friends we left Nico to return to his studies and set out for Aspen, a three hour drive away over beautiful Independence Pass.

Future visits to Colorado will be timed for earlier in the month when aspen trees are at peak fall color.  We were fortunate, however, to find a few groves which were still holding leaves.

 

Jeanine and I were up well before sunrise for a visit to the Garden of the Gods, not five minutes from the Colorado College campus.  I scouted a great location for an overview shot including Pike’s Peak in the background as the sum rose.  This natural wonder is a photographer’s dream.

The early morning light was magical and this is but a small sample of the photographs I captured.  As I have noted in the past, landscape photographs really need to be viewed at full resolution to appreciate them.

After a few hours of hiking in the park we set out for the quaint town of Manitou Springs followed by a stroll through historic Old Colorado City.  There we came across the tail end of a pumpkin festival and watched as contestants loaded their prized creations. Pictured here is the winner of third place.

By this time, Nicolai was finally awake and we joined him and his friend Nate and Nate’s mother for breakfast at his favorite local spot. I ordered a half-size portion of the Grump (2 eggs served over a mountain of hash browns covered with cheese and gravy).  In retrospect, I should have ordered the quarter-size portion that was offered on the menu.

With three days remaining in his current block, Nico returned to his dorm to work on a term paper while Jeanine and I went back to the Garden of the Gods for further exploration and hiking.

We reconnected again for dinner and were joined by Nico’s roommate, Thomas, his mother and two sisters at an underground restaurant called the Rabbit Hole.  The food was reportedly exceptional. I opted for salad only to offset the damage done by my 2,000 calorie breakfast.

Jeanine and I are visiting Nicolai in Colorado Springs where he is attending Colorado College as a freshman.  My first and Jeanine’s second visit to the campus, we are here for Parents Weekend.  A busy day, we sampled three abbreviated classes (psychology, film and gender studies) and three workshops on skill building (leadership training, digital story telling, and “talk”ology).  For lunch we attended a forum on Climate Change during which professors and alumni presented brief reviews of their academic research on the subject. We then toured the campus before joining Nicolai for a fine steak dinner.

I was extremely saddened today to learn of the tragedy in Nepal which took the lives of more than 40 trekkers when a winter storm, fueled by a cyclone moving through India, dumped 6 feet of snow on the Thorung La Pass, the highest point on the Annapurna circuit.  Ten months ago, I captured this image of myself standing where most of the trekkers fell victim to hypothermia on the downside of the trail headed to Muktinath.  I was prepared for winter snows which are common in December but unusual for the month of October.  I crossed the pass the day before the first major storm of the season and think back now on my good fortune.  Faced with white out conditions, this section of the circuit would have been nearly impossible to navigate.  No doubt, many changes will be made by the Nepalese government in the aftermath of this tragedy.  In my opinion, the most effective change would be to provide up to the minute weather forecasts at strategically located points along the trek.  The technology exists to do this.

My thoughts this day are with all who lost lives and suffered in the Himalaya and those who survive them.

Shot earlier this week while we were playing around with cameras in the kitchen, Kyle is looking rather scruffy.  He elected to take the semester off to recover from his internship at Palo Alto Networks and an over indulgent summer break.  Having a front row seat to the silicon valley rat race has given him some new perspectives on the high tech sector and the type of career he wishes to pursue.  He is doing very well academically and we are pleased he is pausing to take stock of the road travelled and being thoughtful about the path forward.  Gap years and gap semesters were not something I grew up with, but as I enter the later years of my career, I wish I had paused more frequently to cleanse the palate before each major life transition.  Why was I in such a hurry?

Jeanine and I depart tomorrow for Colorado College where we will reconnect with Nicolai for Parents Weekend.  Work obligations prevented me from seeing him off as he left for school and I am really looking forward to seeing him again and visiting the campus for the first time.  Jeanine and I will stay on for a few more days to do some hiking near Aspen and I will probably not post again until we return to Boston next Tuesday.

I currently have seven cameras which is more than I need.  To make matters worse, I have two new models on order.  Before I continue the story, I should explain why I have so many.  Just as it is normal to have a pair of dress shoes, casual shoes, sneakers, hiking boots, slippers, and in my case soccer cleats and kayaking  booties, it is normal for a serious photographer to have a set of cameras each tailored to a particular need.  In my case, I have 5 distinct applications.

1. Everyday Carry –  Size is the major consideration, must be small enough to carry with me at all times.  Image quality is also of great importance and must exceed a smart phone by a good margin.
2. Kayaking – Huge zoom range, ultra-compact, cheap enough to lose over board without inducing suicidal thoughts, image quality takes a back seat.
3. Climbing – Weight is the biggest factor, need both wide angle and telephoto zoom, image quality must be high.  Did I mention that weight is of supreme importance.
4. Sports – Machine gun shooting rate, sophisticated autofocus, and interchangeable lenses.
5. Main – Full frame sensors, image quality and low light performance are the primary drivers.

Back to the story.  As I was about to list the two cameras departing from my collection on Craig’s List, it occurred to me to inquire if either Kyle or Maya might actually use them instead of their iPhones.  Surprising both were interested and convinced me that they would actually put them to use and not relegate them to a shelf somewhere (in which case I will confiscate them and sell anyway). So rather than selling two DSLRs, I am buying two new lenses so that each kid will have a proper kit.  A small investment to make if it results in passing down my passion for photography to my children (Nico already has  a rather nice compact travel zoom).

The photo above was taken by Maya who was testing one of the cameras.  Notice the framing.  I think she is off to a good start.

On the way to work this morning, I paused for a few shots of the Old North Bridge.  At this time of year you need to arrive early to avoid the crowds.  Sometimes I take for granted how fortunate we are to live in a place so rich with history and natural beauty.  People come from all over the world to visit this icon of the American Revolution and I can stop in with a 1 minute detour from my normal commute.

I tweaked my left hamstring playing soccer this morning and had to leave the game mid-way through my second shift.  Fortunately, I pulled up at the first twinge and I am sure I will be back on the pitch in 2 weeks. We thumped first place Western Mass by a score of 6-3 and have moved to within a point of capturing the Division 1 lead.  I spent the balance of the day doing chores and enjoying the beautiful fall colors.  Have I said recently how much I love fall in New England?

 

Sometimes it’s luck, sometimes it’s perseverance. Today the later was at play in capturing some of my favorite photos of the season.  A rainy and dreary morning gave way to a crisp and beautiful afternoon. I decided to stay close to home (within a mile) and really explore some of my favorite locations.  I worked for an hour to get the image above, waiting for the perfect combination of light, clouds, and still water (no wind).  I think it was worth it.  The image below was made earlier in the day in our back yard. Click on either for a full view.

A more perfect fall day I cannot remember.  I elected to take a half day of vacation this afternoon to enjoy the ideal weather, tool around in my new car, and take in Maya’s soccer game against Wayland.  Maya scored a gorgeous goal from the top of the circle (22 yards) from where she launched a left-footed rocket that found the corner of the net.  It was truly a thing of beauty and now has her leading me in goals on the season.

 

Five months ago I put in an order for an electric drive BMW i3 which I took delivery of this evening.  Demand has out stripped supply which extended the delivery date by 3 months. I can say without reservation, however, that it was worth the wait. I have owned a dozen cars in my life and this one is the most fun to drive.  Electric motors deliver instantaneous neck-snapping torque AND, in this case, the equivalent of 134 MPGe.  The tradeoff is that range is limited to 88 miles (125 in a pinch) relegating this to a commuter vehicle which is how I plan to use it.  iRobot has free charging stations at work which only makes the value proposition that much more compelling for me.

I had hoped to photograph the lunar eclipse occurring as the moon set early this morning but it was obscured by overcast skies.  I had to settle for this photo of the full moon rising this evening.  Even though it is in the shadow of the sun, a lunar eclipse produces a “blood moon” illuminated by diffracted sunlight traveling through the earth’s atmosphere which both “bends” it and gives it a reddish-orange tint.