Timpooneke Road in September

I love this road; it has a magical "through the woods" feel that I always enjoy when I drive it. It does have the drawback of being terribly eroded, but even that can be seen as a plus because it keeps out too many people. The fall colors render it even more magical. I only wish I had a better camera than my phone, it would have done the country more justice. 

Timpanogos North Summit as seen through the pines on Timpooneke Road.

 

Looking north from the "scree" portion of the road. 

The afterglow of the setting sun. 

My little truck's headlights lighting up the road as we head for home, in the last afterglow of twilight.

Timp's North Summit, with a blanket of green and gold leaves covering its knees. 

Early autumn leaves

The onset of fall has required travel into the hills to view the oncoming rush of color. The signs of autumn are just beginning to creep down the mountainside, but all too soon winter will be here. 

Sunrays glance upon the north summit of Timpanogos as the sun sets.

Green and fallow gold. 

High up, the aspens are beginning to turn.

The road to Cascade Springs. 

A poorly-focused photo of the rising harvest moon slipping between the mountains, with Utah suburbia in the foreground.

View Benchmark

The remnants of summer will be swept away over the next ten days as we move from 80-degree days to 60-degree days. I hope fall lasts longer this year. 

As a toast to the close of summer, here's a shot of View Benchmark, elevation 6682 ft., taken this last week. 

Sunset over the Ochre Mountains.

Wolf Creek Pass

                               

 Wolf Creek Pass scenic overlook; the verdant growth and green belie the narrative that the West is burning up with wildfire conditions and scorching heat. Here, at least, conditions are ideal.

A hastily taken photo from the road of an incoming rainstorm over Wolf Creek Pass.

Views of the storm.

And of it clearing. 

Clear Creek Falls, Seven Lakes Overlook, Bristol Head

 

Clear Creek Falls.

A hastily snapped photo of Bristol Head, taken from a moving car.

Among the stinging nettle growing at the base of South Clear Creek Falls. 

The beautiful view at the overlook for the Seven Lakes remains as idyllic as ever.

Cold Mountain Air up Rat Creek Canyon, Creede CO

 

View looking away from above Creede, from lower Rat Creek Road

Among the wildflowers. 

Approaching the summit. 

Among the clouds.

Adventurers in side-by-sides three.

Sandboarding at Great Sand Dunes National Park

 

Under the full glare of the Colorado Sun, hiking up the dunes at Great Sand Dunes National Park seems like visiting the world's largest beach and never seeing the ocean. And like the beach, sand gets everywhere, especially when kicking up in rooster tails that spray you with a backwash as you try to slow yourself down with an arm or leg as you breeze down a steep slope on the back of a well-waxed sandboard. 

Nevertheless, the surrounding views of still lushly green montains, and the nearby creek flowing at the base of the dunes are worth the hike.

Soft evening light at Silver Lake Flat, Lake, and Glance

 

Summer evening hiking has many attractions: few people on the trails, shade from the direct heat of the sun, and soft evening light as the sun slips below the rim of the horizon. 

Monday night Hayley and I hiked the American Fork Canyon trail to Silver Lake, and then up to Silver Glance Lake. This early in the season, wildflowers were still vibrant and emerging, and there was little dust from the tread of many feet upon the trail. 

Here you can see a panorama shot of Silver Lake Glance, a high alpine lake located at approximately 10,000 feet, and various photos of the trail and the wildflowers.

Ferns at Silver Lake.

Wild roses at Silver Lake in the early evening.

Here is the small waterfall/stream feeding Silver Lake Glance; it's already diminished to a trickle from its usual babbling flood. Certainly, this is evidence of a dry year.

Head in the clouds, eye on the horizon, unparalleled views

From the heights of Utah's Mount Olympus, it becomes apparent how dire are the straits of the drought in the summer of '21. Antelope Island is lying exposed, and The Great Salt Lake appears to have receded into the distance. 

And, while the hills are green now, and the tips of the peaks still shine with the gleams of silver-white snow, one can't help but wonder how dry those same hills will appear when, if by the time August arrives, there has been no rain for the duration of the summer. 

This was a great hike, but the steep-slope climb did make us footsore; and, when considering the glare of the mid-morning sun on the way back, we were glad that we had set out as early in the morning as we did.  4/5 for Olympus; missing that final star for lack of water features so prevalent on the best of hikes (waterfalls, streams, lush abundant undergrowth and wildflowers). But, given the drought, one can't really hold that against the mountain, and there were some very pretty flowers notwithstanding the lack of water.

--JJ

Summer 2021

 Summer has returned, which means long, lazy, hot days, and sunsets that melt slowly into twilight. Here's to capturing as many of them as possible. 

--JJ