New Pagosa Country Colorado Calendar

A Fox Came Out Thursday

While I was waiting for mom to finish her physical therapy I parked by one of the little local lakes. (Ponds is what we would have called them in MN)  Normally at this time of year they should be frozen solid.  The one that sits right along highway 160 is frozen across, but this little one had three open sections.

A fox popped out and ran across the road, by the time I got the camera turned on it was already down by the lake.

It followed the shore then popped out onto the thin ice between to open areas of water.

I wondered for a minute if I might see a fox fall through the ice, but I guess it had a soft touch and easily made it to the other side.

Peaks of the Weminuche Yesterday

I rarely go into town early in the morning but mom had a physical therapy session at 8:30.   It was a beautiful day and with the sun so far south the southern face of the northern mountains in the Weminuche wilderness were really glowing.  We have almost no snow which is not typical for this time of year.  Normally the grass would be long since covered and not seen to April.

From the road

from up on the hill on McManus

Panorama to the north nice views from this spot to the east though as well.

Bottom of the hill back to Piedra road

Nice Sunset Tonight

It was an unusually warm day, no snow in the lower country if we consider 7000 to 8000 feet the low country LOL  Snow up top though this is Nipple Peak in the Southern San Juan Wilderness area.

The sunset started out slow then gradually got better

These are the peaks of the La Plata range over by Durango they are quite a ways off and we can barely see them from up here on the ridge.

Last Chance for Fall Colors

the last day I could really get out to the high country was the 12th  We had gotten a bit more snow so I decided to go back to the Blanco Basin Road because I thought it would be so amazing back there with snow on the mountains.  The sky was clear and pure blue it was a perfect fall day in the Colorado Mountains.

   

 

 

The Blanco River

 

 

 

Panoramas

 

 

 

 

on the way home I stopped at the lake along 160 and tool this one

Sunset Over Chimney Rock

The Sunset on the 10th was beautiful

Return to the Upper Piedra

I went back to the Upper Piedra on the 9th figuring the colors should be more advanced and they were.

Pagosa Peak on the way up along Piedra Road

There was a little coyote in the field

 

Williams Lake

 

I took the forest service road into the Weminuche Valley past the Williams Lake cutoff.  It is  a steep climb and a skinny road it was getting late and I was wondering if I would get some views as the trees next to the road were pretty thick.  When you first come into the valley you see this falling down building.

From the Valley floor

First view from up the hill

Up top as far as I went was a real panoramic view this photo doesn’t do it justice.  I’m not sure what the elevation was there but high enough to really get my heart pumping when I wander up a little path to get this photo

Coming back down the hill the sun was hitting this lighter stripe of rock in this mountain and it really caught my eye

Looking out over the valley again as the sun is getting really low in the sky

When I got back down to the valley this cow was outside her fence, the night before there had been a who bunch outside the fence along Piedra on the way home.

 

McManus Road to Piedra Falls – Liquid Gold

On the 8th I went up McManus road then drove part way up a forest service road off the end of that, then returned and went out to Piedra Falls.

 

There was a group of very orange trees that were so beautiful against the blue sky.

 

 

It was getting late as I headed toward the falls so some areas were difficult to photograph.

 

 

I finally got down to the river (the Middle Fork of the Piedra River)

along the trail to the falls there is this interesting tree

 

When I was almost to the falls an older couple was headed out the man says to me “you’re running out of light”  I though yep I sure am!  The sun was hitting a rock cliff above the river and falls and making the water a beautiful amber color so after taking some photos of the falls themselves I set up my tripod and focused on the river.

  

When I got home and put the photos onto the computer the amber was this amazing liquid gold!

 

This one is my favorite because the pool of water looks like molten gold not water.

 

 

 

First Snow

On the we had a couple days of rain and it was supposed to be snow in the high country so when I got up on the 6th to blue skies I headed to the edge of the hill to see if the mountains were clouded in and if they had snow on them.  They were clear and beautiful.  I wish I could have taken off for the day but the car wasn’t going to be available so I headed to town to get the mail and figured I had about an hour and a half to see if I could get some photos around town of the fresh snow.  Before I left I caught this spider in my sink he couldn’t figure out how to get out I guess so I took him out and then the was lost in my bathroom for two days so he must have been a brain challenged spider.

This is from when I headed down the street to see if there was snow up there

A little snow and a little aspen color

   

From Cloman Blvd.

 

from Piedra road

On the way home a hawk landed on a tree in front of me about 1/2 mile from the house

 

Panoramas

I think this was on scenic drive

 

Cloman blvd. Damn power lines there is no way to avoid them

 

Steven’s Lake Road

 

Piedra Road 

Blanco Basin Road

October 3rd I headed up Blanco basin road for some reason in the six years I have lived here I have never been up this road.  I leads up behind square to a major mountain you see from all over town to this gorgeous secret little valley.  The valley is all privately owned but surrounded by forest service lands.  To the east are the peaks of the continental divide that are part of the southern San Juan Wilderness. the back side of square top is on the other side and the valley runs up to big mountains to the north so it forms a U at the top.  Every direction is beautiful!

There were nasty chemtrails all day but I headed out anyway and asked for some piece of the sky to be cleared and trusted my intuition to tell me where to go.  I did get some blue skies at the beginning the slowed faded to the discusting chemtrail haze.

first you start going around square top

You go up over a big hill then start to come down into the basin this one is part way down.

When you get into the basin you meet the Blanco River

 

There were lots of trees in the area that had not turned yet which surprised me based on how the colors were in the upper Piedra and Wolf Creek areas.

I can upon this ranch entrance that I thought was interesting

 

A nice little pond, this place I notices was actually for sale.  Just a mere 1.3 million, it has river frontage though and 40 acres or so.

 

After going up to the end of the valley I went back and cut off on a forest service road.  There was a  fox there waiting for me but he didn’t hang out long enough to get his photo taken.  The aspens up there were brilliant, but the sky was whiting out! 

Panoramas

Square Top

 

The Divide

 

The Blanco river

 

The river valley