I awoke yesterday to a scratchy throat and burning eyes, a southwest wind had blown a ton of smoke from the Durango wildfire into the valley. Since I could barely breath a hike seemed like a poor idea 🙁 Fortunately for us here in Cripple Creek, sometime in the night a cold front blew through and changed the wind around to the north. The smoke has cleared and this is a much better morning, I could actually see the mountains! I hope the cooler weather helps the firefighters battle the blaze, it has been way to windy and dry lately.
I started my morning out with a little jaunt up to Gillette Flats on a tip that the bighorn sheep were paying highway 67 a visit, but by the time I got there only a solitary scraggly looking ewe remained, the ram and the rest of the herd had already vanished into the dense pine forest above. The sheep are blowing their winter coats this time of year so they are kind of a mess and not very photogenic, she almost looks like an alien! I can never pass up an opportunity to photograph a bighorn though, so I stopped for a couple of portraits of her.
She didn’t pay me a lot of attention but on the couple occasions she looked at me I got the shots 🙂
After that little session I decided to go back to my usual hiking trail just to keep in shape and get in a couple miles of hiking at altitude. Luck was in my favor as I spotted the Three Amigos feeding on the hillside. As always, they kept a curious eye on me as they changed positions on their way up the hillside to the cool shade of the dense pine forest.
Nothing to jump up and down about as far as pictures go, but I always enjoy the spiritual refreshing that only solitude on a mountaintop can provide.
As always, the best of these images are available for purchase on my website as wall art on glossy metal or acrylic sheets, stretched canvas and traditional matting and framing. Tons of cool household and gift items are also available with any image you like including coffee mugs, t-shirts, blankets and pillows, battery chargers, phone cases, stationary and much much more! Just click on any image you like and all the choices, sizes and prices will appear!
