White Gap Pass

We knew we needed to get out. It had been a long semester and a lot of man-hours at work. We made a few calls, stopped at the grocery store on the way out, then we were on our way.

We arrived after dark, the sky was crystal clear, the temperature crisp. We started a campfire, made some food, and enjoyed the Geminid meteor shower.

The temperature began dropping and clouds began moving in from the Northwest. We took notice, but I didn't expect it to rain, it was southern New Mexico after all. It did rain. We scrambled to get the tents and shelters up, keep our sleeping bags dry and get the cameras put away. The rain turned to ice, the wind was relentless. We got to bed and were able to stay (kinda) warm and dry.

The morning came, the sun came out, and things warmed up. We drank some delicious coffee. I wonder if the coffee was actually better tasting or if being with friends, the cold weather, the beautiful surroundings and the sense of adventure made it taste so good. 

We left camp and began ascending White gap pass. The road was extremely rocky, but not terribly technical. 

We reached the pass, the view over the valley was stunning.

The wind in the pass was intense. It whistled through the barb wire and stole the words out of our mouths.

Everyone was eager to get off the pass. 

We found a homestead. I imagine the first rancher in this area lived in this house. It was a very remote location.

The house had indoor plumbing. Pretty civilized given the time of construction and the distance from any other settlement or structure. 

It's a bit of a fixer-upper these days, but we could imagine having lived here in the high desert.

After we came back to pavement, we ate lunch at Sparkies in Hatch. Glad to have good food and to sit in the sunshine.  

Riding down hills

The last day of mountain biking at Ski Apache. Very fun.



 

Durango, Telluride, Black Bear pass

These mountains are sooo beautiful! The jeep performed magnificently. This was the lest leg of our trip before we headed home, it was a bittersweet end to the grand adventure.

Driving through alpine scenery

We had some friends meet us in Colorado!

The steep path up the mountain, the CJ-5 was a champ!

The Sangre de Cristos, Colorful Colorado!

High country

At the top of the pass

We hit the top to see the sun light up the mountains. 

At the top of Black Bear pass

Rugged country

Heading down the mountain

The road is amazing, I love it. 

High mountain lake

Mountain wildflowers

Descending "the steppes" 

Down toward Telluride, the trail is rough 

The trail is dangerous

This jeep went down the mountain shortly before us

Bridal Veil falls

HDR

The first moose we saw in Colorado

Big bull

Southern Colorado

We drove from Yellowstone to Glenwood springs in a day. I love Colorado, and I cant wait to explore more around here.

Mine near Silverton

Our Campground near Glenwood Springs

The Wyoming state highway turned to dirt when it crossed the Colorado line

Tepee, in the campsite we spent a night at.  

Yellowstone and Grand Teton

Yellowstone is a photographers playground. The colors there are ridiculous and practically begged me to work with them in HDR. 

Sulfure pool outlet, high concentrations of minerals in the water give it it's various colors 

Norris Geyser Basin, HDR 

The land is wiped clean in some places by the boiling water from the thermal features and concentrated minerals in the water 

 American Bison, highly skilled at causing traffic jams

 Mammoth hot springs

 Mammoth hot springs from the top

The outlet of a thermal feature, the deposits have built up over years and are now large mounds of colorful rock 

 Fire damage

 Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

 This Bison decided to allow vehicles to use the road for a few minutes

 The Yellowstone river, HDR

 Obligatory trip to Old Faithful

 Sunset over the Snake river, in Grand Teton National Park

 The Milky Way over the Snake river

 Canoeing in Jackson Lake

 The Magnificent Tetons

 Looking across Jenny lake

The dirt state highway we used to exit Wyoming