stephiestewart – A World Explored

December – Colorado, Salt Lake City, and Moab

Photographs of beautiful, scenic destinations along the way from Denver, Colorado to Salt Lake City, the Bonneville Salt Flats, Moab, and back into the heart of Colorado in November and December, 2024.

What words I have to say will mean nothing at all, so let me be silent, and let these images share some beautiful memories of places around the world.

After five days visiting a friend in Colorado, the scenic vistas of the world beyond called to me. I set off in search of them, and found this very beautiful scene of the La Sal mountains capped in snow offset by the red cliffs of the Canyonlands. Salt Lake City and the Bonneville Salt Flats, and Moab, and into Rifle, came afterwards.

This photograph was taken by a nice fellow traveler who kindly lent her hand.

Salt Lake City

The road in the morning towards Saratoga Springs, Utah.

Taken on I-70, heading towards the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Another photograph from the same area. There was frost on the ground. Winter had arrived.

There was mist that descended over the grounds for miles and miles. Visibility was very difficult. One could not see anything else on the road unless it was nearby. This truck drove alongside for a while, making things more visible, and then pulled away into the fog and was quickly gone – disappeared.

A long train pulling lots of cars behind it along I-70.

A very idyllic place I found that I shall leave unnamed. If you find it, enjoy, and please keep it safe.

Along the mountain pass from Salt Lake City to Price.

Moab

Those were taken along a beautiful trail right before the Slickrock entrance.

Rifle, Colorado

Rifle, Colorado is a small town along highway I-70. There are ice caves when the weather is cold enough at the Rifle Falls State Park, although still it is not cold enough for them to appear.

As always, all opinions are my own. All the best.

Photographs from Colorado and New Mexico in October 2024

Hey, Nothing, at The Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins, Colorado

The Moss at The Aggie Theatre after Hey, Nothing in Fort Collins, Colorado

Hey, Nothing and The Moss finale song at The Aggie Theatre in Fort Collins, Colorado

Golden yellow fall foliage in a park in a neighborhood of the greater Denver region, Colorado.

The rose lighting backdrop at Ron Pope and Joshua Radin in October at The Armory in Fort Collins.

Joshua Radin and Gabe after Ron Pope at The Armory in Fort Collins

Three hot-air balloons over a row of Colorado homes in Erie, Colorado.

Sunrise over Boulder, Colorado, with fall foliage ablaze in reds.

Boulder, Colorado – a private country setting.

A setting sun over fields in Erie, Colorado.

Fleeting moments amidst the moutains in New Mexico

“The way of the samurai.”

What is the feeling of dullness before something beautiful happens? What makes life living, but living life, itself? The feeling of being somewhere, often followed by good or bad memories, is what we live for and what makes up life itself, in each experience, moment, desire – either we get what we were looking for, or we don’t, and in doing so, find something new to discover.

Taos.

The mountains and the yellow balloons rising amidst the early morning sunrise, like magic in the air, some say, now here, then gone, as memories drift into the night, so too, will these be forgotten, and only parts of it will remain.

The Taos Mountain Balloon Rally was not one I knew of in advance. It was something that turned up on the way, from the previous travels I was on through New Mexico, where I met three very nice people in a small town diner in New Mexico. One of them told me the balloon festival was occurring, and I went down the next day to see the final mass ascension. Derek and Vonnie, the organizers, were the other two who I met in the diner, and I was able to take some photographs of the Sunday morning balloon festival.

Here are a few.

In the morning, a little before sunrise while it was still dark, trucks pulled in, with their trailers behind them with large wicker baskets in the back. They unfolded their large tarps, laid out the balloons, and with the help of several others, blew cold air from steel wire fans into the balloons, to fill them up with air. Then, once full, jets of hot air were sent into the cold air, to heat up the balloons, which made them stand upright, as the baskets were attached. Once everyone was inside with the balloon pilot who were going on the ride, more hot air jets shot into the balloons, lighting them up in the dark, lifting them off into the air once the sun had risen. A small balloon was sent up first into the sky, so that everyone could see what direction the wind currents took, and then everyone waited for the others to begin their flight, although one or two hot-air balloons hovered nearby in the air.

This is what it was like.

This green balloon was the first to inflate and take off. While everyone knows Head makes sporting goods, not many there knew they also make hot-air balloons. Several companies make hot-air balloons, of course, though not all of them had a logo. Anyway, Green hovered over the pretty backdrop of the mountains and yellow aspens, bumping into the brush every now and then as it made its way around the grassy field.

Pictured here are several helpers unfolding a tarp onto which the balloon was carefully laid out. Several balloons are already in flight.

The colorful, feather-like interior of one of the balloons at the 24th Annual Taos Mountain Balloon Rally.

A former Rainbow Ryders balloon with its iconic design, now an independent balloon for a different company in Taos, is carrying several riders who will photograph the scenery below or simply enjoy the ride with the pilot, the owner of the balloon company.

The Rainbow Ryders colorful rainbow patterned ballon is behind the yellow star diamond patterned ballon here.

This balloon was tethered and did not fly with the others. Instead, the balloon and its pilot went up thirty feet with different passengers, so others could experience what flying is like.

Some said that photographing balloons is a photographer’s dream. Others said the balloons drifting in the sky are magical. Many of the on-lookers were simply content to watch the balloons filling up with an innocent wonder as the morning unfolded.

More photographs

As always, all opinions are my own.

Keep dreaming.

Finding moments of scenic vistas in Colorado- The Rocky Mountains, Estes Park, and McCall Lake

Photographs taken one afternoon in October, 2024, of The Rocky Mountains, Estes Park, and McCall Lake, which is along Highway 66, on the way to or from Lyons, Colorado, which goes to or from Estes Park and The Rocky Mountains right nearby Estes Park.

The Rocky Mountains

Estes Park

Estes Park is often described as a very scenic town. It is maybe an understatement at times, as the lakes are very clear and blue against the mountains. It is reminiscent of an alpine European setting.

McCall Lake

The mountains were shrouded in the pale sunlit of early evening that evening. It was a very beautiful sight.

The lake reflected the trees and mountains like a mirror, and often times from a distance, the water did not seem to move on the surface, like glass.

As always, all opinions are my own.

Albaquerque – Colorado – Salt Lake City – the midwest

Involving the Albuquerque Balloon Festival, a midnight car crash, and beautiful scenery, as to which, if the photographs below are blurry, it’s because they have been resized – the originals are sharp.

This blog has long been a journalistic way to remember most of my travels within the US and around the world. I’ve never been in a milliseconds close to fatal car crash before, so I’ll start with that — and then to the photographs.

The scenery on the drive from Albuquerque to Craig, Colorado, was beautiful in so many ways. It truly was beautiful. Yellow aspens near glittering, winding creeks and rocky, mountainous craigs led to small towns with murals of beautiful dark-haired women holding flower bouquets and hard-working farmers in fields covering building walls, a surprising touch of artistry in the middle of small towns. Sunsets with dark clouds that ranged for hours along mountain ranges that seemed to refuse to set lingered in yellow and golden hues, then to purples, pinks, pale lavenders, then finally blue and dusk soon followed as the moonlit shone and night settled.

I saw a black bear on the road in Colorado along a high mountain pass, loping across it, and we did not hit one another.

On the way back from the places I had been, taking many photographs of scenic spots I noticed, the moon rose high (a day after being the Hunter Supermoon), still nearly full. Yet, the road was dark near Livingston, Illinois, and there was a crack! and the car I was driving was thrown towards the shoulder. What had happened? It seemed like I had been hit from behind. Did I hit a bear? That was my first thought. When I looked back, I saw with horror a dark truck with its front grill completely dented. The car I was driving had been hit from behind at nearly 50 miles an hour! Within a millisecond, within the peace of that dullness of night, near midnight, there was an impact, and for a second, the world was totally dark. Then I was once again in Illinois, and a trail of debris followed behind the scene on the road. After everything was settled, and, it seemed at the time there were no serious injuries on either side, the meaning of enjoying each moment became clearer and clearer. Time is infinite for us, and we do not know what will happen from one moment to the next. There was no way of telling that would have happened.

Enjoy each moment.

Perhaps life is meant to give new meaning to living at important times.

Since this particular trip really began with the Lotus Festival, where many great musicians played, these are two photographs, from the second night.

Photographs

Below, the final Sunday morning Mass Ascension at the Albuquerque Balloon Festival.

A hot-air balloon landing in Balloon Fiesta Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The road to Santa Fe, right next to the Petroglyph National Monument in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I walked a short ways along the trail and saw several petroglyphs.

The road was being improved in Tres Pietras, where there is a small farmhouse style diner and pub, with a few guest rooms. Stopping in for a break, I ran into three very nice people who had come from the Balloon Fiesta, one of which was a hot-air balloon pilot. We talked and they showed me photographs of their experience. It was a wonderful meeting.

A rough shot of the Hunter Supermoon over the winding mountain pass leading into Leadville, Colorado.

Yellow aspens near Craig, Colorado, on the road towards Steamboat Springs.

Yellow aspens passing by a lake on the way from Steamboat Springs to Denver.

The wooden Tor! Peak Ranch. Made out of pinewood, perhaps? Drive along the scenic highway from Denver to Steamboat Springs and you’ll see it!

The view right next to the Peak Ranch wooden gate, near Kremmling, Colorado.

A view of the peaceful glassy lake on the road to Kremmling from Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Wolford Mountain Reservoir.

A very Colorado scene. Quintessential Colorado, with log cabin mountain homes in remote high country, near Kremmling.

A couple nights before the Hunter Supermoon, near Wolford Mountain Reservoir.

The mountains behind Wolford Mountain Reservoir.

Wasatch Mountain State Park, Midway, Utah

Horses in front of Wasatch Mountain State Park, Utah

Jordanelle State Park overlook on highway 40.

The Salt Flats – photographs taken by a fellow traveller met there.

The campground right near the Bonneville Salt Flats.

The lake along the highway, heading back to Salt Lake City from the Salt Flats.

An old Colorado log cabin near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The sheer natural beauty near Strawberry Hot Springs.

The Strawberry Hot Springs overnight wooden hillside cabins, where I did not stay, merely took a couple photographs of and checked out the hot springs. I didn’t go there this time, but I have been there once before.

The white birch trees and pines right above the hot springs pools at Strawberry Hot Springs.

Strawberry Hot Springs gravel access road.

Strawberry Hot Springs road. I believe it was a Van Morrison song that was playing on the radio. “Don’t go chasing monsters in your head,” he sang. “Don’t go chasing monsters in your head.”

The mountain pass above Steamboat Springs.

Once more heading back towards Kremmling, racing against time to get away from the winter storm heading into Utah.

This is where I will end it for now, as it is a very beautiful place, and the rest of the drive was mostly in darkness.

Enjoy every moment, as it is truly a blessing. Enjoy every moment in time, the good and the bad, and its passing.

As always, all opinions are my own. May you find beautiful moments in life and the blessing to know which is which.

The Flatirons in Colorado

It was nice to be back in Colorado. After a brief weekend in the Midwest, I returned to the Continental Divide to spend five more days in the Denver and Boulder areas.

Hikes:

The first one I did was a 5k informal run through the Davidson Mesa Open Space. It was beautiful throughout, with most of it looking towards yellow grasses and the Flatiron Mountain range in the distance.

Cows grazing on the grasslands nearby the trail.

One of the nice hikes I went on was the Red Rocks Trading Post trail that loops around the area. I liked it because it wasn’t too long, yet it winds through the red rocks and goes up to the visitor’s center and back. It seemed about a mile and a half round trip.

The last one I had time to do was another hike, which was beautiful, rugged, and wound through pine forest with views of the Flatirons and Bear’s Peak, called the Shanahan Ridge Trail. On a recommendation, I was looking for the Fern Valley Trail, yet wound up on this one instead. It was very pretty and serene.

Be happy! The smiley face someone left on a rock along the Shanahan Ridge Connector Trail.

I stayed once again in Nederland briefly, and the sparkling lights over the bay as the stars came out over the lake was a wonderful sight.

All opinions are my own.

Road trip to Denver, Colorado

Some interesting sights along the way were the rolled haystacks in Kansas and this scenic barn along the toll avoidance route near Tecumseh, Kansas, on Highway 40.

Also, a very blue lake in Nederland, Colorado

Yellow Aspens in Colorado

The September and October months in Colorado, near Denver, bring the yellow aspen trees into full color, and are a sight, and destination, in and of themselves.

In mountain streams, and desert lakes, time moves slowly in-between. The rushing waterfalls of time know not the seconds of silent footsteps that we make, though some remain imprinted, some remnants amongst the sand.

For four days, I spent time photographing the beauty of the mountain landscapes and visiting places I’d been before in the Denver and Boulder areas.

Aspens in Nederland, Colorado

Photograph #2 More aspens in Nederland, Colorado

Photograph #3 Aspen treetops in Nederland, Colorado

Photograph #4 The road into the West Magnolia campgrounds in Nederland, Colorado

Photograph #5 Pines in a pine grove near the campsite, Nederland, Colorado

Photograph #6 A young yellow aspen grove in Nederland, Colorado

Aspens in Nederland, Colorado

That was not the only place I spent my time, of course. Below are some images of the sunset and sights in Erie, Colorado, as well as a few others.

A cat painting on an electrical box in a park in Boulder.

The Flatirons from afar – the trail up to the 1st/2nd Flatirons and back is beautiful starting from Chautauqua trailhead, as always.

Sunflowers along Country Road 5 in Erie, Colorado

A patchwork barn right across from the sunflowers, off of Country Road 5, in Erie, Colorado. There were several of these patchwork barns and old Volkswagen van shells.

The pinks and blues in the sunset over a newly-built housing neighborhood in Erie, Colorado

The same sunset that evening, though a different angle – September 26, 2024

A special moon – an orange low hanging crescent in a shape most don’t usually see at that early night hour.

As usual, all opinions are my own. Enjoy traveling.

The Great Smokey Mountains, Asheville, New River Gorge, and the Red River Gorge

The Great Smokey Mountains – Asheville – New River Gorge – Red River Gorge

Mountains and gorges, with time winding in between them – a photographic journey.

Photography often requires travel, and because of the other obligations I have currently, there really was not a lot of time to spend in each one, as it was a long roadtrip, though visiting each place felt like a long time while there.

Photographs, starting from Indiana, with its farmland and barns, at a place in between Bedford and Brownstown on the 50:

The Great Smokey Mountains

The one thing these four places have in common is that they are beautiful nature areas, with two of them formed by the streams in the gorges, and the other two by the mountains nearby them.

The Great Smokey Mountains were blue and misted this time, and filled with dappled light and the beginnings of fall color, with its reds and yellows. Any place there is worth seeing along the road, although the top two are Newfound Gap and Clingman’s Dome. If those are the only two places one can visit, that is enough, with the Appalachian Trail running through both spots.

The view from nearby the visitor’s center, heading up towards Newfound Gap.

Heading up to Newfound Gap from Gatlinburg.

The view from above the mountains, near Newfound Gap. Usually, there are ravens that fly away from the road across the valley. There were a few there this time again this year.

The same view of the mountains, though from a different place at the pullout.

The view of the Smokey Mountains from Newfound Gap.

A gnarled old tree trunk on the Appalachian Trail near Newfound Gap.

Flowering plants along the Appalachian Trail.

Two trees along the Appalachian Trail, with a view from in between one trunk to the forest.

The very peaceful, old woods of the Appalachians near Newfound Gap.

Along the Appalachian Trail near Newfound Gap.

The wooden stairs leading into the Appalachian Trail from Newfound Gap.

The Smokey Mountains from Clingman’s Dome.

The alpine mountain flowers on the short but steep 0.5 mile one way trail up to Clingman’s Dome. It is a paved walking trail with benches on the side for rests looking out at the view.

Autumn foliage along the way to Clingman’s Dome.

Moss, or lichen, on an old pine tree by Clingmans’ Dome.

A view of the mountains. This was on the way to Clingman’s Dome midway up the trail.

The mountains from the viewpoint atop Clingman’s Dome.

The lovely view of the blue smokey mountains in the mist of evening light atop Clingman’s Dome.

A different view from atop Clingman’s Dome.

Last view of the Great Smokey Mountains on the way back to Gatlinburg, and on. Until next time!

Asheville, North Carolina

Known for its art, there are many studios and galleries in the small mountain town of Asheville, which is at the end of one of the Blue Ridge Parkway roads coming from The Great Smokey Mountains.

There was an art gallery that was not open that I would like to visit one day, American Folk Gallery, next to the food co-op in Asheville. Every art gallery looked interesting, however, in Asheville.

The Biltmore is a place many visit while in Asheville, however, I went to the grounds but did not tour around this time – though if one is willing to spend some time and money to visit the grounds and house of the Biltmore, it is like visiting a castle or other residence of the sort in Europe.

The gallery I visited in Asheville is called The Grovewood Gallery. This happened by chance and it is in a nice little village setting near a hotel with a vast green grounds and is quite pleasant. It has many handworked art pieces, showcasing paintings and furniture.

Though everyone has different taste, here are some of the ones I liked.

Fayetteville – The New River Gorge, West Virginia

West Virginia – Wild and Wonderful.

There is a slightly nostalgic feel in the ancient mountains here. It is a former coal-mining town, and for anyone who has read and likes The Hunger Games by Susan Collins, it is as close to being in Katniss Everdeen’s hometown as one could imagine. The town is not a wealthy one, yet it is filled with an atmosphere of adventure and excitement in an outdoor spirit, and there is an attitude of ruggedness running through it given all the mountain adventures, along with rafting and cycling. It is small, yet full of things to do if one likes the outdoors. The New River Gorge has only recently become a National Park on December 27, 2020. There is mist in the mornings often and it can seem like a different country, espeically along by the waterside of Gauley Bridge, in between the mountain pass roads.

If there is only time to do a few things in Fayetteville, the top ones are:

Walk down the stairs of the New River Gorge Bridge Overlook

Hike along the Endless Wall Trail

Visit Fayetteville

The Red River Gorge, Slade, Kentucky

Slade – what is unique to Kentucky is this area is the Red River Gorge, though Slade is itself a rather poor district in Kentucky that does not have a lot of wealth, yet many people come here from around the world for its world-class rated sport and traditional rock climbing, and other outdoor activities. The Natural Rock Bridge is in The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe in one scene in winter. There are many hiking trails that wind through the forests, some of which are short and relatively easy, like the Whistling Arch Trail, the trail (if one takes the Sky Lift) along the Natural Rock Bridge, and others.

Some things are worth doing, and the hike to the top of the Natural Rock Bridge, a 2 mile loop, led to some nice views. It’s not always easy to do things like this, but then again, having done climbing, running, and tennis, along with other sports, and photography, training comes with discipline and sheer will some days when the motivation is lacking at the start. The views were worth it, and it felt like a completion of the journey, which was a farewell of sorts to a way of life in the summer and previous years, as the seasons are changing.

There was a horse I met along the Tarr Ridge Road who came up to me and was very friendly – so much so, that I wished we could have gone on a ride together, though I had to continue on the way. Maybe I will see the same horse once again, though fleeting moments are all we have sometimes with one another on the journey.

Gallery:

One way to make roadtrips better is to take the roads less travelled. While the main highways are faster, the smaller ones are often more scenic, and only twenty to thirty minutes longer to the destination. The road less travelled is the one sometimes best chosen. As always, all opinions are my own.

Heading back into Indiana, near Oolitic.

A weekend in the southwest – Arizona

Saguaros only grow in a very small part of Arizona, yet they are recognized as an emblem all across the world of the desert landscape of the southwest, although they only grow in a small area near Tucson, Arizona.

Weekends are long days, yet not very long. It depends how one lives them. These two days felt very long, yet were not longer than any other. The desert landscape, with its horizons, can make the hours seem different, as the sunsets sweep in pinks and blues across the mountains and fade slowly into darkness, and the sunrises stretch long across the morning at dawn.

I watched them from the desert, looking at the stars at night – so many stars – there, as usual, as always, and yet often not visible. How much a metaphor of many things in life, there, yet not visible, yet so important nonetheless, and often insignificant and overrun in the mundane nature of the days passing? Life moves in a flowing stream of time as they say, on and on.

Being present, and living well, is perhaps the only thing we truly can achieve in life. The feeling of oneness with ourselves and everything else.

In those moments, everything is complete, and maybe it is easier in the quietness of the desert landscape to achieve, where everything is more muted, more subtle, yet teeming with poison, dangers, and life, unseen, amongst the rocks and sand.

Life, moving unseen, on and on, and yet we acknowledge its passing.

Many sights in Arizona are worth visiting, and there is not enough time to see them all in a day or two, really, to appreciate them. However, here are some worth seeing, if only for a short time:

Saguaro National Park, with its cacti and often mists in the mornings.

Patagonia – I have not been there, yet I have heard many good things from local recommendations.

Mica Mountain – there is a road that winds all the way up to the top that has nice overlooks of the Tucson city.

The college area around 4th Street in Tucson where many interesting shops and a food co-op reside. There is a lot of well-done street art on the walls of buildings that make this place vibrant, with quirky shops and interesting stores, like Witch, which had many Turkish lamps hanging in the windows and the promise of many interesting objects inside. There was not enough time to visit it this time, however, this is an area that is highly recommended.

Almost any of the nature areas nearby stretching from Phoenix to Los Cruces are worth seeing. You will find mountains with rugged features, like the Chiracahuas in the Chiracahua National Monument, the white sands in White Sands National Park, and desert landscapes stretching for miles.

However, travel wisely and safely, and use caution at night. There are lots of rattlesnakes around during the October – March months, and it is advised to be careful if walking around at night.

There are many places here that I like. I’ll keep my favorite places quiet to let others find their own- although some of these might be recognized still.

As always, all opinions are my own.