It was a beautiful crisp morning… the hint of fall definitely in the air here at almost 9,000 feet high in the Rocky Mountains. After a long week of drudgery and stress I knew I was in need of a road trip and the puppies needed their hike so I decided to take care of both in the same trip! I love taking the doggies to Little Grouse Mountain near Victor, beautiful scenery and almost zero chance of coming into contact with another person or dog up there, and the doggies love it too. Thought of going to church but when I’m stressed out, being around a bunch of married people and feeling alone is even more stressful. If I’m going to feel alone I’d rather just be alone, and the solitude of the mountains there is perfect therapy… Just me, the doggies and the amazing cool mountain breeze blowing in the pines.
Noticed three empty drinking water jugs in the backseat and I have always wanted to stop at the spring for water. Almost at the split in the highway to Victor or Cripple Creek there is a big tank to catch the spring water coming out of the ground. A rubber tube funnels the water into the tank and anyone can fill water jugs from the spout for free. Animals, including elk, deer, and all sorts of big critters can also benefit from the big tank, and of course there is water spilling from the constant flow onto the ground for the little ones. Got my three jugs filled and headed on into Bronco Billy’s for some 50 cent biscuits and gravy.
Then me and the doggies were off to Little Grouse Mountain for a hike to the spectacular vista of the Sangre De Cristo and Collegiate Peak mountain ranges. Storm clouds were building over the Collegiate Peaks and a heavy haze made the Sangre Peaks almost invisible against the cloudy sky, not worth stopping for pictures but the billowing clouds off to the west were kind of neat. I felt this one looked much more dramatic in black and white, the elimination of color seems to have cut through the haze better. By the time we got back to the bottom the doggies were satisfied and ready for a nap.
Went in to Cripple to the Double Eagle and made some nickel bets, long enough to get a 
couple of free brews to wet my parched whistle before heading back over the pass to Woodland. As I cruised through Gillette Flats I thought I could make out some snow up high on Pikes Peak through the storm clouds… the first sign that the fleeting summer in the high country is nearing an end. Figured I’d take a better look when I got to Woodland with it’s good views of the north face. Sure enough, from the excellent vantage point in Woodland it was apparent that the first snow of the year had fallen down to about 11,000 feet on the peak. But when I went to my usual vantage point the best view of the snow wasn’t visible so I took a swing up Paradise and on up into Paradise Pines for a better view which paid off… it was the perfect spot. The north face of the big peak shows a little dusting but the most snow can be seen on the little peak, which might be Cheyenne Mountain, towards the middle left of the frame.
Then on my way down I could not believe my good fortune… two beautiful buck mule deer grazing in a meadow of wildflowers. Once again, extremely happy I had set my camera up for back button focus. For some reason once the bucks noticed me they took quite a few steps towards me, so I just held the button down which activates AI Servo focus (continuous) mode as long as I hold the button. Normally a camera is set to one shot mode which activates when the shutter button is depressed. Then what happens is only the first shot is in focus and the subject becomes blurry as it moves closer to the camera. As a result I got quite a good bounty of the two deer in the beautiful meadow. What a way to finish a great day in the mountains 🙂
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With a whole day ahead of me and nothing planned, I decided to take a drive down Twin Rocks and Teller 1, I usually have a pretty good chance of scoring some wildlife pictures somewhere along there, a great stretch for deer and elk to graze all the way along that route through the high prairie. I was fortunate to spot a couple of bucks foraging in a clearing of mountain grass and wildflowers. I attached my 70-200 zoom and set the ISO to 400 as it was a bit cloudy, nice light… just not as bright as usual. As usual I started shooting from a distance to make sure that I got some kind of record of the scene while moving ever closer for the best shot possible. Of course the deer noticed me right off but paid little attention until they noticed me closing in. Finally I got as close as they were going to let me get and snapped a couple of frames before they started wandering off. I could have wasted time trying to follow, but I knew I got the shot and just walking away was the most profitable action at that point.
As I continued down Teller 1, I ran across another beautiful scene with llamas in a beautiful field of wildflowers and grass in front of the foothills. Stopped along the side of the highway and picked up a few more frames using my long lens. The rest of the drive to Cripple Creek was uneventful, except for a few morons who are willing to take their own lives and everyone’s around them by feeling the need to pass on the curves. I just can’t understand what is so important about going fast that it is worth risking life for the thrill.
But by the time I was halfway through town it was getting pretty dark and I knew it would be even darker where I was planning to look for the deer so I turned around and headed for the ice cream. On the way I caught a view of the peak and it looked like it was going to be a pretty sunset so I quick exited the highway and toodled up to my favorite peak viewing vantage point just as the clouds were starting to take on some color. It turned out to be a beautiful sunset on the peak and down the pass towards Colorado Springs too. Just as the colors were starting to fade over the peak the colors became even more vivid over Gold Hill and when that began to fade a herd of deer walked by. Lol… God was definitely smiling down on me today, a reward just when I was really starting to get discouraged about a recent spate of dull and uninteresting pictures! Today was a victory in the battle to get out and shoot when the voices say, “Don’t bother, it is just going to be a waste of time and gas.”.
I was expecting to see more of the indigenous donkey herd but there were a few donkeys owned by locals that were giving rides to kids that made for a good photo op. Donkeys and owners alike were decked out in amazing period costumes. Watched some donkey rides and a few of the doggy contests before retiring to the beer garden for a nice cold Belgian White before the main event was to take place, the famous donkey races… Enjoyed watching the music, including the Air Force Academy Band and taking in the sights… all the vendors and visitors in an amazing colorful old west scene!
