Colorado Autumn – Part II
This post includes images from Grand Mesa which is a 2 hour drive north from our home. Arriving mid-morning this was more of a scouting trip since the time of day was not in my favor for very long. I was in awe of the fantastic views from the top of the mesa and hope you too can understand the sense of that wonder from these images. After photographing from the overlooks we took a walk down a dirt road lined with aspen trees. I love the way the leaves sound in the wind… a delicate tinkling. And with some back-light the already bright, yellow aspen foliage becomes even brighter. Finally I couldn’t resist an isolated reflection, so brilliant, abstract and fun to capture!
Grand Mesa is the largest flat-topped mountain in the entire world… it has an area of about 500 square miles and stretches for about 40 miles between the Colorado and Gunnison Rivers. The Mesa rises about 6,000 feet above the surrounding river valleys with a maximum elevation of 11,333 feet at the tallest peak. Situated in a semi-arid area just outside of Grand Junction the Mesa offers a contrasting alpine environment with 300 lakes and a ski resort reporting an average snowfall of 250 inches.
‘Pond & Mesa’ © Denise Bush
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‘Grand Mesa View’ © Denise Bush
‘Forest Pattern’ © Denise Bush
‘Aspen Road’ © Denise Bush
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‘Backlit Gold’ © Denise Bush
‘Striking Gold’ © Denise Bush
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Filed under: Colorado, Landscape Photography, Photography | 21 Comments
Tags: aspen, autumn, Colorado, foliage, grand mesa, landscape, photograph, reflection, trees
Denise Bush’s Photo Blog
Awesome
Thank you Steve! That one word sums up this place perfectly!
They are all wonderful. My favorites are ‘Striking Gold’, ‘Backlit Gold’ and ‘Aspen Road.’ Each of those images depict my idea of the how the aspens look in the fall. Thank you for posting.
Thanks for coming to look and comment Pat! I appreciate it very much!
Wonderful sea in yellow. Thank you for share this unique place.
Thank you Francis. I like finding the forest patterns Mother Nature has provided.
Amazing and incredible scenery with fantastic photos Denise. An absolute pleasure to read your post!!
Thank you for the view and kind comment Andy!
God, I love your photos! Brilliant!
You are too sweet Eliza. I wish we lived closer… you’d be my best friend!
😀 long-distance buddies
Absolutely stunning views!!
Thanks Isabel. It’s always nice to hear from you!
Thank you for sharing. This soul misses the western landscape.
I’m glad you liked the post Rhoda. I see you live in New York State (my birthplace). Did you live in the West at one time?
Hey you are definitely finding your voice out there in CO. Its nice to see how quickly your pics feel like home…. and you have only been there for a lil while.
Lot’s of exploring going on here Mickey… already 2,000 miles on my new car! We might have one more week of foliage here.
Thanks for part 2 of your adventures in Colorado. I am enamored in how the forested area at elevation looks over the arid country side below. Colorado is a fascinating place isn’t it?
Thanks Rich… I thought that alpine/arid contrast was pretty cool too. I also like the warm/cool contrast in that first image. Thanks for the comment. I have lots more coming (I hope) that I haven’t even looked at yet.
The Road, The Road! Spectacular. I haven’t been to the Mesa, but I think I read a book that was set in that area. (Darned if I remember the title, but it was about Native Americans.)
That must mean you like ‘Aspen Road’! 🙂 A couple of other photogs said that they liked that one too.