Water

Photo101

The prompt for today is Water.  The first thing that popped into my mind when I read this assignment  was how often water plays a central role in my travels and vacations.   The Atlantic Ocean.  The Caribbean Sea.  Loch Ness.  Niagara Falls. The stream by our campsite. The hotel swimming pool.  For whatever reason, my family is drawn to water when it’s time to take a breather from regular life.

Because the light faded before  I finished up with my “serious” responsibilities today, I didn’t have time to take original photos for this prompt.  I decided to just go with the water/travel connection and look for ideas in my stash of photographs.  I found two examples that  even show the change in orientation from horizontal to vertical.  The first set of images was taken on the Colorado Headwaters Scenic Byway, a rugged drive through gorgeous country along the  meandering Colorado river.  The second set of images was taken on the most perfect summer weekend of 2015 at Lake Holman in Little Buffalo State Park.

Photography is pure playtime for me – I tend to respond emotionally and sensually to what I’m seeing and don’t overthink it.  However,  I will often take different views of the same scene in pursuit of the most interesting image.  When I look at the photos below, I think the horizontal images give a broad, “establishing” perspective of the scene and the vertical images provide a stronger sense of depth.

Colorado Headwaters Scenic Byway (Colorado)

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 Lake Holman, Little Buffalo State Park (Pennsylvania)

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Photo Essay: Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway

(This long grey stretch of winter has me feeling cabin feverish and wanderlusty.  I don’t have any travel plans for the near future so I’m indulging in some adventure reminiscence.  All arm chair travelers are welcome!)

Last March, my husband and I spent some time in Colorado – Denver (for business) and Grand Lake (for pleasure).  While staying in Grand Lake, we decided to drive the Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway, which begins near the birthplace of the mighty Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National Park and ends at State Bridge where the river meets Rt. 131.  Although this scenic drive may not be as spectacular as some of the other Byways we experienced, I enjoyed it the most – for the remoteness, the variety of landscapes, and the abundance of wildlife. I’m sure the crisp, blue-sky, cusp of spring day helped to improve my opinion of it, too. This Byway exemplifies all the qualities that make Colorado uniquely gorgeous.

What do you think?

Colorado River Headwaters Scenic Byway

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{ View from Rt. 40 }

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{ Hot Sulphur Springs State Wildlife Area }

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{ Great place for a picnic.  Or fishing – we saw many fishermen here. }

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{ Outside of Kremmling on Grand County Rd. 1 (Trough Road) }

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{ Much of this Byway is gravel road }

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{ Gore Canyon }

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{ Large herds of mule deer were everywhere }

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{ More fishermen }

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{ One of the few vehicles we encountered on Trough Road }

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{ Heading back to Grand Lake on Rt. 40 }

Thanks for joining me.  I hope you enjoyed the tour!