In July and August 2012, I made a road trip through the northern and central Rocky Mountains of the United States. It involved 2,637 route miles and 2,333 local miles for a total of 4,970 miles in 21 days.
I had one or two days of thunderstorms but, aside from that the weather was pretty much perfect and the high elevations provided great relief from the extreme temperatures of my desert home.
My route is shown on the map in the photography section of this blog. To recap, I left Nevada, stayed with family for a day in Utah, then
...
(more)
|
|
2012 Rockies Route
I saw the USA (or part of it) in my Chevrolet! Some of you will remember that...
|
Falls on the Snake River
I spent my first evening on the road in Idaho Falls. This image does...
|
The flags at Traveller's Rest
Much of the country I travelled through was along the routes taken by...
|
Lolo Creek at Traveller's Rest
For many years, the camp site was thought to have been about 1.5 miles...
|
Salish teepee replica
Along the Traveller's Rest interpretive trail, state parks staff...
|
Sula Meadow
In 1805, the L&C party met a group of about 500 peaceful Salish camped in...
|
Hay Stacker
In the days before industrial hay balers and rollers, hay was gathered with...
|
Hay Stack
This is a stack made by one of the stackers shown in the previous image. The...
|
Ruddy Duck
I visited a variety of wildlife management areas during my trip. This...
|
Columbian Ground Squirrel
Outside Missoula, the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge is home to many...
|
Cedar Waxwing
I know these are common birds in many parts of the country but the...
|
Eastern Kingbird
Ironically named since this was also in the Lee Metcalf NWR in northwest...
|
Pied-billed Grebes
These youngsters were also in the Metcalf NWR.
|
Blue-Winged Teals
As were these momma teals.
|
Killdeer
And so was this common wader.
|
Spotted Sandpiper
This guy found me, also in the Metcalf NWR. And it really did find me....
|
Yellow-headed Blackbird
This species was also a first for me and was also in the Metcalf NWR....
|
Common Nighthawk
I found this one along the shore of a small pond at the south end of Canyon...
|
AmericanThree-toed Woodpecker
Another first for me found in the vicinity of Seeley Lake, MT.
|
Great Blue Heron
I've seen many of these over the years but I can never resist...
|
Yellow Warbler
This colorful little guy was along the Yellowstone River as it passes through...
|
Black-capped Chickadee
This inquisitive little guy was also along the banks of the...
|
Red-tailed Hawk
I found this immature hawk perched on a power pole along a country...
|
Red Squirrel
I saw squirrels through out my trip. This one was in Lions Park in Cheyenne, WY.
|
Black-crowned Night Heron
This was soaring over a small lake in Lions Park.
|
Echo Lake
We lived for a time in the mountains west of Denver and the highway up...
|
House Sparrow
This juvenile sparrow is also quite common but it just seemed to be...
|
F7 Locomotive
Those who know me or who have read my previous photo blogs know I am a train...
|
Virginia Canyon
Some roads in the Rockies are not for the faint of heart. Virginia...
|
Virginia Canyon
The small built up area at the mouth of the canyon is Idaho Springs and I-70.
|
Central City
You can't see it in this photo but much of the charm of the old...
|
Georgetown
Georgetown is another favorite of mine. My wife and I worked here when...
|
Georgetown Loop RR
The Georgetown Loop is a short narrow-guage excursion train that runs...
|
Georgetown Loop RR
The train has just come off the trestle and is now on the back side of...
|
Rocky Mountain National Park
Another of my favorite mountain drives is Trail Ridge Road between Estes Park...
|
Yellow-rumped Warbler
Taken at Windy Gap Reservoir outside the west side of RMNP.
|
Hammerkop
One of the benefits of visiting a zoo is the opportunity to photograph...
|
Blue-breasted Kingfisher
This colorful guy is a denizen of West Africa.
|
Inca Tern
A resident of the coastal areas of Peru and Chile.
|
Golden-headed Quetzal
From the rain forests of South America.
|
Dall Sheep-kid
I've seen Dall Sheep in Alaska but they are still fascinating, even in a...
|
Dall Sheep
This was the first time I'd ever been close enough to get an acceptable...
|
Blue Dacnis
This beautiful bird is a resident of Central and South America.
|
African Penguin
Also called a black-footed penguin or a jackass penguin (for its loud bray),...
|
Spur-winged Plover
Also known as a lapwing, these birds range over the mediterranean, and...
|
Green-naped pheasant pigeon
A native of New Guinea.
|
Violaceous Euphonia
Native of the Caribbean and South America.
|
Sunbittern
Resides in the tropical Americas.
|
Lorikeet
These beautiful birds, in a variety of colors sizes, and shapes, are...
|
Kookaburra
I think these birds, native to Austrailia and New Guinea, are so ugly...
|
Paradise Tanager
And finally, my last photo from the zoo collection is a resident of...
|
Mule deer 3-pointer
Another area I had hoped to find lots of birds was the Rocky Mountain Arsenal...
|
Raccoon Family
I was about 50 yards away and in my parked car when this raccoon...
|
Says Phoebe
After spending hours walking the trails and ponds in the refuge, the...
|
Lark Sparrow
Along a creek in Glenwood Springs, CO.
|
Recreational Parking?
Found just below the summit of Rabbit Ears Pass in Colorado. I'm...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Comments
Add a comment