Ramsey Canyon is referred to as the 'hummingbird capital of the world'. Its tall canyon walls and presence of Ramsey Creek keep it cooler than the surrounding desert and an ideal place for wildlife, especially birds. There are 15 different varieties of hummingbirds that can be found here. Ramsey Canyon is part of The Nature Conservancy’s international conservation program cooperates with several agencies to both preserve and better understand fire management, stream restoration, and protection of rare species. When we arrived, just as the Information Center opened, it was very cold! We were hoping for some fall color and were surprised at just how brilliant some of the trees were. It was probably just past 'peak' but we took it all in! For the birders in our group, we were told that two Trogon males had been spotted in the area. We, of course did not see them.
Maroon Bells in the Fall
High on our list of 'must check out' for fall color in Colorado was Maroon Bells. We first visited the site last June when everything was green and then more green. We heard that the place was pretty spectacular in the fall. Judge for yourself.
It does not happen often. When it does it is a feeling to remember. At some point I just stand there. I cannot click any button. I cannot move. I am paralyzed by awe, wonderment and an incredibly feeling of being loved by the creator of all of it. God is more present in these places than in any church I have entered. She gives evidence that She exists. When I look at the images later on the feeling returns. My deepest wish is that all people could experience what She has created. Perhaps we could start to learn to love each other. We are one of Her creations and we too must be as awesome. Every one of us like every aspen leaf.
Fourth of July Canyon
This canyon has the reputation for being one of the best places in New Mexico to see fall colors. In fact, one of the trails out of the main campground is named Maple Crimson! Our reports were that two weeks ago the area peaked in color and there was not a parking space to be found. So we were late on the scene but wanted to check it out nonetheless. You can research the area if you are interested . . . but just to let you know in advance . . . it is quite a pleasant drive until you turn off towards the campground. Then the road gets progressively worse, not at all Prius friendly!
We arrived around midday. The shadows were still abundant and there were some pleasant surprises in seeing spots of robust color. There is both maple and scrub oak along with nice stands of tall pine. We grabbed what we could and then made a note to come back next year.
If Steve's reds look intense to you it is because they were taken using a new filter he was experimenting with. It is a B+W 77mm UV/IR Cut 486 MRC filter. This filter is best with CCD sensors and suited for photographers who shoot jpeg images. However, we were both interested to see how it would do on our CMOS cameras in RAW. At the end of the day we were impressed with a couple of shots, and surprised by the color cast on a couple more. I would need much more time to master the filter to the point of seeing its $129 value! Will say, however, the green looked pretty intense and so did the sky. The color cast was on the edges and gave a greenish purple in some images, but not many of them.
After a bumpy grueling 22 miles our tires embraced pavement. Down the road we had lunch in Mountainair at Jerry's Ancient Cities Cafe. Good grub for empty bellies! Then back to Albuquerque. Thanks for sharing the journey. Hopefully we can find a way to return next year when the color is peaking. Perhaps you can join us.