From Colorado: Atop Pikes Peak
Published on 9 July 2008

Pikes Peak stands at 14,110 feet, and it gets a lot of weather because of it. I'm no climatology expert, but I do know that this special combination of altitude with dark clouds equals a storm. And I had the special chance to ride right into one. When we first arrived on the railway, there was only a light rain. Nevertheless, the winds kicked up and a wonderful combination of light hail and snow started to fall. As I've mentioned before, a water resistant camera can come in handy. But no degree of resistence can combat the high winds that lovingly shove snow right into one's lens.

Having to wipe off my lens every thirty seconds proved to be a rather unpleasant task, especially when I realized that the shot I wanted forced me to aim my camera directly at the wind. The best part came when I wanted to get a long exposure shot of the clouds in the distance. As I pulled out my tripod, lightning flashed in the distance. Thinking nothing of it, I continued to setup my gear.

As I mounted my camera to the tripod head, the winds kicked up and began pelting me with hail. That and the increasing amount of lightning convinced me to keep my photography handheld for the time being. Though it might be hard to see in the thumbnails, the extent of the weather can be seen in the enlarged images. More photographs from this trip can be found in my Flickr set.

From Colorado: Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Published on 7 July 2008

Pikes Peak, near Colorado Springs, looms over the countryside at 14,110 feet. There are many ways to get up the (easily accessible) mountain, but one of the easiest is via the Cog Railway. The Cog Railway departs from just outside of Manitou Springs, Colorado, and costs around $30 for a round-trip ticket. Even though gas is expensive, it's probably cheaper to drive to the top. Though I have to admit, the most exciting option would still definitely involve a long hike. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have enough time in my schedule.

The railway itself travels up the steep hills of Pike National Forest. Along the way, one encounters pine trees, aspen, and the occasional house. The guide for the ascent identifies many cleverly named rock formations along the way, and entertains the passengers in the car. Because of the speed of the train, it was often difficult to get a good shot out the window. Most of my attempts resulted in the average tourist snapshot, though I did have a few successes.

The Cog Railway is designed to withstand up to a 25% grade, meaning a foot of vertical rise over every four feet of track. Due to this, the ride is only around an hour and fifteen minutes each way. My favorite part of the ride up was emerging above the treeline. Something about this seemingly deserted environment captivates and intrigues me. And best of all- we encountered an afternoon storm at the very top of the mountain. My experience photographing in this weather will have its own post soon. Though I enjoyed the opportunity to stand atop a 14,000 foot tall mountain, I still would have rather reached my destination in a more adventurous manner. It was still a fun experience, however, and I highly recommend it for anyone planning to travel to the region.

From Colorado: Cave of the Winds
Published on 6 July 2008

Cave of the Winds is a tourist attraction/trap located in Manitou Springs, Colorado. The attraction consists of a large building perched upon a red-rock cliff, in which guests can enter a man-made tunnel that leads to a natural cave system in the mountain.

The cave, originally accessible by a series of ladders and small passageways lower in the mountain, has been a popular tourist attraction since the late 1800's. Due to the long history of daily tours, much of the cave system is now dead. Natural water no longer flows in the main part of the cave due to damage done by so many individuals moving through the cave system.

Many features of the cave have been given catchy names and dramatic lighting. The geological feature above, named something along the lines of "bleeding heart," was doused in red lighting. There are also reports online stating that many of the formations are actually man made. An optional tour of the cave, called the "Lantern Tour," offers a longer tour lit only by lantern.

Though some natural formations have survived the constant rumble of tour groups, it saddens me to see such a grand spectacle of mother nature treated in such a manner. I'm not at all against the promotion of easily accessible ways to view natural wonders, but hyping them up and turning them into tourist traps seems to defile the beauty of the place.

We were greeted by a thunderstorm at the end of our tour, which gave me some unique photography opportunities. At the end of this excursion, my desire to become an adventure photographer was solidified and strengthened. Nevertheless, it was sad to see such a beautiful sight stained by the conquest of capitalism.

From Colorado: Colorado Springs
Published on 5 July 2008

I've finally found a stable internet connection, so I'll slowly start to post my logs from my current trip to Colorado. I arrived in the state on July 1st, but I didn't start taking any good photographs until the 2nd. My trip started with a visit to Colorado Springs, more specifically, Manitou Springs.

Manitou Springs is nestled right up against the mountain range, directly west of Colorado Springs. Most of the attractions Colorado Springs has to offer are actually located in Manitou Springs. One of my first stops was the Garden of the Gods, which is a natural red rock formation, very similar to what you see in Zion National Park in Utah.

Because of the time of day, my lighting was pretty bad. With very few options, I had to get creative with my post-processing. Here, you can see the red rock formations stand out in lighter shades against the dark sky. This photograph was taken from the Garden of the Gods visitor center.

From what I heard, rock climbers are fairly frequent in the park. I was only able to find one that day, and had to leave before he started his climb. Nevertheless, I couldn't resist snapping a photograph of him preparing for his climb.

My next stop for the day was the Cave of the Winds. This cave turned tourist trap will have its own post in the near future. A thunderstorm blew in while I was on my cave tour, and as I was walking towards the parking lot, I spotted this wet statue. I'm lucky enough to own a water resistant camera, so I went ahead and snapped a photograph.

You can view all of my photographs from Colorado on my Flickr photoset.