Colorado, Part 2
The morning of day two began in the dark again. I’m not sure I was physically recharged, but my camera batteries were, and the anticipation of another day in the mountains was all the motivation I needed. Driving in the opposite direction to yesterday, I met Deirdre and Jon, and we headed off into some of the most beautiful surroundings I’ve ever seen.
The higher we climbed into the San Juan National Forest, the more snow there was, and it was still lightly falling. I was grateful for Jon’s expert driving on the mountain roads and tricky conditions. The possibility of moose, lynx, and snowshoe hares failed to materialize, but wildlife is, well, wild. It would probably be less attractive if you could magically command it to appear. Honestly, though, I wasn’t disappointed for three reasons. Firstly, the company was great. I enjoyed learning more about the environment and Deirdre’s work. Secondly, the scenery was stunning, and with a fresh dusting of snow, it was as if the place had been spring-cleaned just for my arrival. And finally, we had a couple of extraordinary bighorn ram encounters!
On the drive up, we came across two mature bighorn sheep rams (Ovis canadensis canadensis) buddying up and licking salt from the road. Seeing their huge horns was iconic, especially in such a picturesque place. I felt fortunate not just to see them; apparently, they’re a rare encounter in that area and as wild as wild animals get. They tolerated our photography long enough before crossing the road towards us and climbing the hill.
Just as we thought they were gone, one of them—a full-curl ram—stepped back out onto the ledge above us and posed as perfectly as if we’d given him art direction. He briefly stuck his nose in the snow and came up with a powdered face to complete the scene. It was magical. We thanked him and moved on.
Later that day, as we wound our way down towards Durango, I’m proud to say I spotted the rams again, a little further back in the trees. This time, it was a trickier scene to photograph, and when they ran past us to move to the other side of the road, we could see them moving at speed. I used a shutter speed a little slower than I’d have ideally chosen, but it was enough to see them. They bookended the experience beautifully.
When I parted ways with Deirdre and Jon, I had one more Colorado experience to come. Mesa Verde National Park was another accessible drive away, so I used my afternoon to check it out. The wind was strong again that afternoon and felt very cold in exposed areas. I was treated to some epic panoramas with dramatic clouds overhead, but I was too tired and cold by that point to make the most of it. I made some half-hearted attempts to look for a bear or mountain lion that had been seen in the park, but as expected, they weren’t around in the middle of the (cold and windy) day.
Leaving for the airport the next day, I reflected on my trip. I was incredibly grateful to enjoy so much of Deirdre and Jon’s time, and the San Juan Mountains struck me as an exceptional place. Ultimately, Colorado did seem to share a lot of similarities with California. Still, where we have the ocean, they have alpine conditions, and as California barrels toward summer, Colorado still has some pockets of winter. When I think about how my photography allows me to build a deeper connection with the place I call home and all the opportunities to explore our neighboring states, I’m more energized to pursue that than other continents. I wish I could have seen even more of Colorado, but I’ll be back!
