We drove over I-550 numerous times as we photographed the San Juan Mountains. On several of those trips we were joined by Karen. Here is a collection of our favorite images taken along the road. If you know this region well you will recognize some favorites.
Taken before sunrise on our way to meet up with Karen for breakfast in Silverton.
Another 'find'. As we drove by we noticed a line of cars and then a long line of photographers on a ridge. You cannot easily see Crystal Lake from the road in the dark. We parked, grabbed tripods and waited for the sun to rise. We did not stay as long as we needed to see a full sunrise. We had an important date with Karen and we did not want to be late! We would go again and have her with us. Notice how much snow there is on Red Mountain. There would not be so much on our return.
Tom's take on the lake. He likes adding the shoreline. I want you to believe that I am out in the middle of the lake in a kayak!
Yankee Girl Mine
Broader view of the Yankee Girl Mine.
Karen, is that our Toad in front of you? Nah! You would not be clicking and driving at the same time. Right?
Does it get any better than this?
Silverton
Molas Lake
Silverton
Another perspective of Silverton
Durango Silverton train arriving in Silverton.
This was taken on our return trip to Crystal Lake. There was mist on the lake and just a hint of snow on Red Mountain.
The sun rose and slowly Red Mountain lit up. I had hopes of the whole thing becoming red! Well, no such luck as the cloud cover increased and played tricks by hiding the sun, teasing me into thinking that 'just any second . . . .' I know that you are familiar with that routine. Right?
For me, this is as good as it was going to get. By the way, a graduated neutral density filter came in very handy in keeping the brightest parts of the scene from blowing out. Interestingly, the mist only shows up as reflections on the lake. We noticed the same thing while in Ireland. Why does the camera not see the mist over the lake?
Karen's take.
Karen and Tom stayed a while taking 'geometric compositions'. I went back to the car to get warm. They got some great compositions.
Karen and Dave stopped at Crystal Lake on there way home last Friday. I put this here to show how much the fall foliage had changed from the first time we stopped to take our photographs of the fall color reflected on the lake. WOW!
Karen and Dave went back to Crystal Lake to get some night photography, hopefully some good shots of the Milky Way. Unfortunately, they had to contend with clouds, cold wind churning up the water and a pesky moon. Some nights are just not suited for night photography.
Waiting for stars.
A few stars and a nice reflection of the moon on the water.
Long shutter speeds create interesting clouds. But, there are a few stars. Good effort.
Red Mountain Creek
Another perspective.
We hope you enjoyed the ride.