Back from Colorado

I spent July 21-22 in Utah and July 23-28 in Colorado. I want to thank members of this forum for helping me make the most of my days in the San Juans. The trip included visits to Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, American Basin, Yankee Boy Basin, Porphyry Basin, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison and Great Sand Dunes NP. Places I planned to visit but didn't make it to (more on that later) included Ice Lakes Basin and Stony Pass.

I spent a couple of days at American Basin. I recognize that many of you indicated it wasn't that great this year, but I certainly enjoyed it. I would like to visit on a good year. The drive to Porphyry Basin via pucker point ended the wildflower viewing for the most part, since my wife refused to ride with me on any 4wd roads after that point. After making it through the narrow part, I recognized I had better take a few hasty shots and get out of there. We spent the next day pursuing separate activities.

I went to Yankee Boy Basin by myself, but it wasn't as good. I did get to watch a flash flood in person, as I arrived immediately before a 2 hour rain, then had to wait for the road to be cleared so I could leave and join my wife for dinner. Got a few decent shots while waiting for the road to be cleared.

I just published my web site. Most of the wildflower photographs I took on this trip can be found at http://www.philgoblephoto.com/Gallery/WestFront/GalleryWest1.htm. I would be interested in your comments on the photographs and the site.

Thanks again.

Phil Goble

We spent the next day pursuing separate activities.

Hopefully that didn't also mean sleeping in separate beds/motel rooms/motels/cities! Pucker Point can have quite an affect on people. I know it does me.

I think the quote was something like "how could you think I would have enjoyed that". That moment will be added to our collection of vacation memories. Something unlikely to be forgotten.

The next day I went back to American Basin (our first drive of the day) and she took it easy in Ouray, checking out the town and reading Harry Potter. The itinerary of the trip changed after that day. I went to Yankee Boy once, but it rained. The rest of the trip was spent more casually at places like Mesa Verde and with drives through the forest to Telluride. I showed the picture of Pucker Point on this site to people in our office and they agreed my wife was justified in her response.

The thing I didn't think about when planning the trip was just how long it would take to get anywhere I wanted to go. For example, American Basin took something like 2-2.5 hours from Ouray, one way. That's five hours of driving without doing anything else. Still, I really enjoyed the experience. As I said, people in Colorado looking at American Basin say it's a down year, but when you are from Illinois, it still looked good.

Glad you enjoyed it, Phil. I think my wife would have reacted the same way. I didn't get to go to American Basin on this trip because it was raining and she didn't like the look of the Cinammon pass road from Animas Forks. I feel your pain!

Your wildflower shots look nice.

Thanks for your comments Kalin. I enjoyed looking at your site also.

Hmmm...Black Canyon, American Basin, Porphyry, Yankee Boy, Spruce Tree House, Long House....were you following me?? I like the shot of the Kiva with the light beam. I was there on an overcast day, so I didn't get the cool beam. And the last shot of White Sands is a beauty.

Soem beautiful shots, Phil. What day were you at American Basin?

Could have seen you on my travels. I was driving a Nissan Xterra with PMG X license plates.

My wife was very patient with me on the Kiva shot. She waited for 2 hours for me to get the shot, getting quite chummy with some of the park rangers. It is one of her favorite pictures I have taken.

Thanks for the compliments. I enjoyed looking at your site as well. When I see some of the pictures on your site and in the galleries in Ouray and Telluride, it makes me want to be in Colorado in September as well, but we already have vacations plans for November, so it won't happen this year.

Thanks David, I have about 20 more I like, but not quite a much as the ones I posted. I was at American Basin on July 24-25 (Tuesday-Wednesday). Got there around 10am on Tuesday and stayed until about 3pm. Got there around 7am on Wednesday and stayed until around 2 or 3pm. Got a real nice sunburn in addition to my pictures. Tuesday seemed way busier than Wednesday - but maybe I was just more focused on Wednesday.

I was asking because I was up there, but I missed you by about a week. I was there Sunday through Tuesday the 29th - 31st.

Hope you enjoyed it. Looked like there was still plenty ready to bloom when I left. I wondered whether the cooler temperatures and frequent rain the week I was there was helping things.

There were still a lot of flowers blooming, though there were a lot that had already gone to seed. I'll bet you were there right at peak!

I was due for some luck. In July 2006 my planned vacation in Glacier NP was scrubbed when I was 60 minutes away after driving over 25 hours because of a forest fire at St. Marys. We went on up to Banff, which was beautiful. In October 2005, I saw 10 straight days of fog and (mostly) rain in New England.