My journey started from Denver International Airport where I rented a 4×4 jeep. I will say that on this trip, a smaller car would have been sufficient since I didnt travel on any dirt roads. My first stop was Mt. Evans just south of Idaho Springs. Mt. Evans is located within the Arapaho National Forest and it is here where you can drive on the highest paved road in North America. At 14,130 feet, the scenery along the road is georgous and extremely intense. Much of the road is narrow and does not have any guard-rail so if you are riding on the outside, you may want to distract yourself if you have a problem with heights. Once you are close to the top, you can stop and visit summit lake.

The weather wasnt the greatest but I was fortunate that it was even open. In October, Mt. Evans can receive snow that is not measured by the inch, but by the foot. It was cold and windy.

From here it was a lengthy drive to Leadville Colorado. Leadville is a small town with a population of 2,688 and sits at an elevation of 10,152ft. Leadville has alot of historic buildings still standing from the mining era in the 1800’s.

I took highway 24 south to 82 west at Balltown. As soon as you make the turn you are met by the Sawatch Mountain Range with Mt. Elbert which is the tallest mountain in the North American Rocky Mountains at 14,443ft. This range of mountains is impressive to say the least.

My destination before making my return trip was the Maroon Bells south of Aspen. However, I first had to cross Independence Pass. The road up to the pass was easy but very enjoyable. Once I passed the tree line (elevation at which tree’s no longer grow) I ran into snow and ice. The view’s were superb!

The approach to the pass is a steep 6.5% grade. Once at the top, the temperature plummetted. Independence pass is located along the continental divide at an elevation of 12,095ft. Here you can start to feel your body reacting to high altitude and lower oxygen levels. I had to park my jeep and have a look around. The ponds and lakes here are frozen solid. A very harsh place.

Heading down from Indpendence Pass there were not as many switchbacks to manuever although the grade was still about 6.5%. And once you cross the tree line, you cross into the White River National Forest which in my opinion was pretty dense.

The drive from Independence Pass to Aspen was about 22 miles. Turn left on Maroon Creek Rd which is also known by County Rd 13 for about 9 miles. It was interesting because the dark or shadow side of the mountain still had some snow while the sunlit portions were melted.

As you get closer to the end of the road, Pyramid peak comes into view at 14,025ft. What an awsome humongous piece of rock. Driving through groves of aspen tree’s created such a beautiful scene. However, the day before a snow storm had passed through knocking much of the beautiful golden leaves off. Fortunately there were some spots were the trees were georgous.

Finally I reached them. The Maroon Bells. What a georgeous view!.

The Maroon Bells are located in the Elk Mountain Range with the borders of the White River National Forest. The two peaks, Maroon peak (14,156ft) and North Maroon peak (14,014ft) are the most photographed peaks in all North America. Once you get to the end of the road, it’s time to put on your pack and hoof it if you want to venture any further.

After taking a rediculous amount of photographs I hiked around Maroon lake looking for a unique perspective. But there is no hiding those familiar peaks. Fortunately at the time I arrived, the sun was at my back and my polarizer worked fabulously.

I remember thinking how fresh the air smelled. There was still a chill in the air and the water from the lake was freezing cold. When I walked around the lake, the trail kept going and so did I.

Unfortunately I could not spend any more time here. I knew I had a long drive back to Denver and had to get to my next destination if I wanted to get back at a decent time. Although I did not leave without taking a photo through the side view mirror of my rental car. I guess this is going to have to do as a unique perspective.

I had a long journey ahead of me. 230 miles to Rocky Mountain National Park via Glenwood Springs via I70 to Kremmling and onto the park. I have been through Glenwood Canyon several times but I wonder what travelers who have never driven through Colorado via the interstate must think when they go through it. The canyon is pretty cool. This place once offered shelter to the Ute indians from other tribes.

And recently several rock slides have occurred in the canyon with the most recent on March 8 of 2010 , one in 1995 that killed 3 people and on Thanksgiving day in 2004. The rock slide punched a hole through the interstate and not only did $700,000 in damage, but also created a 300 mile detour. So anyone traveling from Denver to Grand Junction had to drive an extra 300 miles out of the way. A huge impact on commercial transportation. The largest stone weighed over 60 thousand pounds.

I decided to take a different but longer route I had never driven on before. From Silverthorne I took highway 9 to Kremmling. About 16 miles north of I70 there is the Green Mountain Reservoir with the Gore Mountain range just to the west.

Another 54 miles and I finally reached Rocky Mountain National Park. The sun was starting to go down and clouds were moving in. Not the best lighting but it was working.

To cross through the park you have to drive Trail Ridge Road. Very scenic but again, if you have weak constitutions and are afraid of heights have someone else drive or find something to occupy you until the coast is clear. From the western Kawuneeche Valley side, the road climbs from about 9,000ft to 11,796ft at the Alpine Visitor Center. You have nerves of steel if your adreneline isnt pumping by this time.

Once you leave the visitor center, you climb again up to to Iceburg pass at 11,827ft and then near Fall River Pass at 12,183ft. You can see the Never Summer Mountains to the west. From here the road is easy to navigate before it starts to decend again toward Estes Park.

Here my luck was about to change. I was driving along admiring the scenery when an Elk presented itself. He was all alone and looked to be a very young bull.

He came up to the car and said “whud up yo?”. Well, not really but it looked like thats what he was about to do. Then out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a larger herd north. This time of the year the elk are in the rut and the males begin to bugle. This behavior is inherent with mating rituals. Interesting is the males will battle using their very large antlers. The winner has the right over the harem which consist of several females. The loser…well he walks away empty handed and lowers his head in shame.

I did a 180 and parked the car at a turnout. I got out and walked toward them hoping to take some decent pics. After all, wildlife had been very scarce all day. There was one bull with a harem of several females. The color of their coats blended perfectly with the surrounding alpine grass.

My hands started to freeze and turn numb even with gloves on. But as soon as I turned around, there were 3 male bighorn sheep staring at me. They seemed to come out of nowhere. Of course I couldnt go back to my car now could I? So I kept shooting as the walked past me. What is interesting is that these 3 males were hanging around eachother feeding on the grass and in a month, they will start to rut and battle it out for females. They will head-butt eachother with such power, you wonder how they live through it. Watch the following 12 minute video from the Colorado Division of Wildlife to get a unique perspective of these animals.

Rocky Mountain Bighorn Sheep from Colorado Division of Wildlife on Vimeo.

One of the sheep walked right past me to join the other two and were not the least intimidated by my presence. Of course, at this point any numbness in feeling quickly subsided…or I ignored the pain.

After they left, I started to lose any available light and knew there would be larger herds of elk in the valley below. Sure enough, I was not disappointed. There was alot going on. Males battling it out with others for their harems, other males watching over their harems for other competitors. It was busy.

However, the one sound I love from these animals is their bugle. This video is a perfect example of the kind of noise you will hear all night. So much testosterone, let the hot steamy nights begin..lol!

The best time to see this behavior is the last week of September through the first week of October. It is also when to see the glorious aspen trees.

I often wondered if I should have broken this journal into two separte parts because of it’s length. Well too late now.

I left Estes Park as the sun went down and there was nothing else to see. I had a long drive back to Denver International Airport and had less than 1 mile left of gas according to the trip meter in the car. Talk about being lucky.

Thank you for taking time to read and view this journal. I hope that at the very least, you had an small sense of what Colorado is like and that one day you would take a journey like this to view the beautiful things this wonderful country of ours has to offer.

Thanks again,
Kevin

This wilderness is home to a large variety of Moose, Elk, Bighorn Sheep, Grizzly Bear, Black Bear, Wolverines, mountain goats, mountain lions, bobcats, lynx and wolves to name a few. Not too long ago this area was inhabited by a Native American tribe called Crow. The Crow indians were once a part of the Hidatsa tribe. The Hidatsa called this tribe Absaroka meaning “children of the large beaked bird”.

Today, you can find evidence of white settlers and miners scattered througout dating back to the 1800’s. While the historical significance of these cabins are unique and interesting, compared to other old mines in Colorado, these do not show much sign of heavy destruction along the mountains. They are indeed fun to explore. Unfortunately I was alone the couple times I explored the cabins below, always looking out for grizzly bears. Believe me, they are plentiful here. In fact, after I took the photos below I was told that a grizzly had been near this place feeding on a moose carcass. I never did see it.

Looking at these structures and their condition always makes me wonder how these miners lived in the conditions of this area. Always battered by fierce winds, winters lasting more than 6 months out of the year with sub-zero temperatures and snow that could be up to 30 feet deep.

There are several hundred naturally formed lakes that are impressively beautiful with some from glaciers. The water is crystal clear but very very cold.

On the eastern edge of range is the only road that allows you to cross. From Cooke City Montana to Red Lodge is Highway 212 also known as the Beartooth Scenic Highway. It is known as one of the most scenic highways in America and traverses some of the most rugged terrain and is the highest road in Wyoming and Montana above 10,000ft. The views and expanses are AWSOME!!! With 20 peaks climbing over 12,000ft, you will not be disappointed. However, if you do have any sort of fear of heights, you may want to prepare yourself before taking this route as it can be extremely intimidating. Just ask my brother . I will say that I have bragging rights as I crossed this road in a snowstorm and in slick conditions that would make some turn away.

Along this route is a small shop that is only open a few months out of the year due to snow. this place is called “Top of the World” and is a great place to buy t-shirts, sweaters or other types of souviners. While visiting, I crossed the highway to a small stream to take some photos. I was surrounded by a type of bush that I wish I knew the name of. This plant had the sweetest smell. I loved it and wished I could have stayed longer. It was so fresh. Below is a photo of the plants. They were kind of a rust/yellowish color.

I also noticed them in other valley’s. What a wonderful smell.

It is along this highway that you will see just how rugged these mountains are. If hiking is in store for you here, bring plenty of survival equipment and it is not recommended you hike alone. I always rent and carry a satellite phone along with a can of bear spray on me at all times when I do travel alone.

I have been on this highway when the weather was absolutely wonderful and warm, when it was cold and windy and when it has been snowing like crazy.

The temperature was 17. The wind was blowing between 30 and 50mph. Crazy weather.

If you know me well then you know I enjoy getting off the beaten path. From Cooke City Montana you can take a very humbling dirt road up to Daisy Pass. The view’s are outstanding. Again, I have been here when the weather was wonderful and also when it snowed. Beautiful no matter what it was but I will say…that road was just a bit intimidating even for me.

Once I crossed the pass and came back down, it was here that I had one of the most peaceful experiences of my life. High on the pass the snow was blowing like mad. By the time I made it on the otherside of the ridge, the sun came out and the wind stopped. Then the snow started to fall ever so lightly. No sound except the ringing in my ear and my own heartbeat. The snow was very light and fluffy but with the sun shining, each flake reflected in such a beautiful manner. Unfortunately these photos do no justice.

Finally, the southwest part of the Beartooth Absaroka wilderness. It is here were I made my camp. High above the city of Gardiner Montana on the northwest corner of Yellowstone. The park primitive camp sites fill quickly and well…i dont like to camp near others…I enjoy the quiet. While the terrain here is not as rugged as the east side, it is equally beautiful.

One morning when I woke up, I went and walked along a vista to take some photos and noticed a wolf/grizzly kill of an elk. There wasnt much left of it but that was when it hit me, this place was truly wild. The way it has always been since the beginning.

I hope you enjoyed reading this journal as much as I did writing it. I will close with a quote from a fellow photographer Tom Murphy when talking about Yellowstone, “we can improve on some things but we cannot improve on this”.

 
When the river freezes, the best places are near the lock and dams where the water is open. I especially like to hang out just west of Lock and Dam 15 & 14 on the Iowa side of the river. It is here you can see sometimes hundreds of bald eagles hovering over the river or roosting in the trees.

At any time you will see between 1 and several hundred eagles flying over the water. Most of the time a few of them will be flying circular patterns and diving for fish. If you are lucky to see them approach you at a close distance, they will look at you intently as shown by the image below.

It is said that a bald eagle can read a newspaper from 100 yards away. As they glide effortlessly using the wind, they constantly scan the water looking for an unlucky fish. Once they locate their prey, the wings fold back as their feet retract like a landing gear on an aircraft and they twist their body to dive. Just before hitting the water they flare their wings to stop in midair just as their razor sharp talons dip into the water to grab the unsuspecting fish.

Although not all attempts are successful, when you can see them catch one, it is quite rewarding. And when the skies get crowded and food scarce, the eagles will intimidate others to lose their catch so that they can try and snag it away. Some even in mid-flight!

 Now I realize most of you do not want winter to set it and you will most likely disagree with me, but I cant wait for the river to freeze. Although I will say this, taking excellent pictures did not happen for me overnight. And even a single day’s work may last 4 hours or more with 300-700 shots taken and only 30 or so actually making the cut.  Also, when temperatures fall below zero, you need to protect yourself from frost-bite.

I always dress in layers including my socks. Then I have snow overalls, a parka and a layer of all-weather gloves with another layer of wool mittons while I am idle. On blustery days, I will wear a pair of ski goggles. And while some photographers come out and shoot maybe 30 minutes or so during very cold conditions, I can be out there for hours.

Of course the road was not paved and some of the places along the edge of this cliff were pretty iffy. This is not the kind of place you just want to floor it and get down as soon as possible especially if you have never been to this locale before. Lots of switchbacks on this primative road with deep rutts. I had to hug the inside part of the road just in-case.

It took a good hour to get down before I hit the flat. This time of morning is the best for taking photographs and is known as “The Golden Hour”. The way the rolling hills cast shadows created some very beautiful scenes even in this barren land. The soil was extremely dry and had cracked in many places. And one thing is for sure, you do not want to be stuck out here without food or water. Daytime temperatures can get very hot and with no humidity, it is difficult to judge your limits before you end up dehydrated.

It was a 21 mile jaunt through these dirt roads before I entered the town of Big Water Utah. The population in 2000 was 417, but I didnt see one person. As early as it was, they were probably all sleeping.  Once I hit highway 89, I headed east to Page for another 14 miles or so.

Prior to entering the town, you have to cross the Glen Canyon Dam.  What a sight to behold.  A very large structure that created Lake Powell.  The water running through the dam is the Colorado River and heads south toward the Grand Canyon.

I wanted to take photos of Upper Antelope Canyon but couldnt decide if I should take the time out to do it. I ended up driving south just outside of Page and pulled off the road to hike 1/2 mile to Horseshoe Bend. This is a magnificant place. You stand at the edge of a cliff 1,000ft above the Colorado River. The views are incredible althoughit is not for those with weak constitutions. While I was there, I met a fellow photographer from Scotland. We walked the trail to the bend and talked about what else? Photography.

He took this photo of me…

…taking a photo of this!  Thats 1,000 feet straight to the bottom! (Taken with Sigma 10-20mm @ 10mm)

I walked around for a while taking photos of all the different rock textures and a lizard that looked like a dinosaur.

My new friend and I split off. I drove back up to Page to find Antelope Canyon.  There is a powerplant that was built and seems a bit out of place with the natural surroundings.  This place is called the Navajo Generating Station and provides 2280 megawatts of power to customers in Arizona, Nevada and California.

When you arrive at Antelope Canyon, you have your choice to go through the upper or lower canyon. I chose the upper for its narrow passages. You have to pay a fee and hire a Navajo guide before you can enter the canyon. They have scheduled trips that drive you 10 miles to the canyon on a sandy wash road…which was quite fun to drive.

Wow, what a spectacular place. In Navajo, this place is called Tse’ bighanilini which means the place where water runs through the rocks.  Years ago several people were killed here as a result of a flash flood.  They were  walking through the canyon and a rainstorm seven miles away, caused a huge area of water to rush through the lower canyon killing 12.

It is dark once you go inside the canyon and any photography must be done with long exposures.  As a result, many photographers were getting frustrated as they were taking their shots because other people from the opposite side, who didnt know someone was photographing, would walk right in their frame.  I managed to get several shots. And what was remarkable, were the sunbeams shining through.

Now, for the past several days, I had eaten snack food like roast beef, ham and jelly sandwiches. As I was heading out of town, I saw the golden arches and knew I had to stop for a #3 quarter-pound cheesburger meal. Man was that delicious.

Now it was time to get back on the road. I took highway 89 south towards the Grand Canyon and near the vermillion cliffs. Along side of the road, I decided to stop and finish the rest of my lunch.  There were some Navajo women selling  jewelry on the side of this cliff, so I decided to have a chat with them.  They were just like my dads side of the family and talked just like em too. Felt a little like home.

Once at the bottom of the cliffs, you have to cross a canyon bridge that once again, crosses the Colorado River. This place is cool because it is a California Condor habitat.  I spoke to a guy from the condor recovery foundation and learned alot about these huge birds. How they help locate bodies of hikers lost in the Grand Canyon which I know sounds morbid, but a useful science.

Unfortunately the North Rim of the Grand Canyon was closed due to snow…still. So I continued on to Zion National Park in Utah which was only another 107 miles from here.  Along the way, the views were very expanse.

And then I looked up and saw what I thought was a hawk.  I took several photos of it and when I got back in the car, I took a look and zoomed in.  Much to my amazement, it wasn’t a hawk. It was a California Condor easily identifiable by the C-tags on the wings which I had just learned about at my last stop. What an enormous bird.

Once I arrived in Zion, the road going in was terribly busy with tourists. And although the scenery was beautiful, the sun was starting to set and I knew I had to get back north of Las Vegas for my final night of camping. Too bad too, because I wanted to stay longer.

I stopped to take a wonderful photo of twilight. The sky was beautiful in this desert.

Unfortunately I never made it to my final destination north of Vegas. Instead I pulled over to a place called Valley of Fire. They had a small campground and to my dissappointment, I had to camp among tourists with large RV’s. Sorry, not my kind of camping. I did manage to get a few long exposure shots of the moon illuminating the rocks.

When I parked the car and was setting up camp, a guy next to my spot came over to warn me that he just tossed a rattle-snake out of his camp into mine just before I parked the car…oh great!  I quickly ate my dinner always trying to be mindful of snakes.  I sat with my new neighbors which was a total disaster for me. They were very loud, drunk and used the foulest language I have heard in a long time. Definately not a good time. 

I told them good-night and headed to the public restroom.  Whoa! there were bats everywhere feeding on the insects.  There were black widows hanging everywhere…yikes!  That night, it was alot warmer and I slept in the car with the windows up to keep all the creepy crawlies away.

The following morning, I got up before anyone else did at the camp and headed back 50 miles to Las Vegas for my return trip home.  This trip was exhilirating and already have ideas for my next venture out to Utah.  If you ever plan a trip out this way, contact me and I will be happy to share a series of different routes with you.  In fact, I gave a guy from Europe who posted questions on a photography forum and asked for some advice. He was going to be visiting the US for a 3 week driving tour. The only issue happened to be that he was handicapped and in a wheelchair so he couldnt get off the beaten path. 

I detailed a couple different routes from California to Montana back to Arizona.  Several months later, he emailed me saying he took my advice and had an absolute wonderful trip with photos to boot!

I hope you enjoyed this Utah journal as much as I did writing it.  Thank you for viewing! For more photographs of Utah, please visit my galleries at http://www.frontierphoto.net/Content/galleries.html.

Let me also say that I do not take these types of trips alone without first thoroughly planning my route and take every safety precaution. When I leave, I will give my wife a map following my route with all of the local names of the areas I will be traveling to. Not once do I ever deviate from that map. In addition, I rent a satellite phone from Mobal Communications (www.mobal.com). If you are ever going to be traveling outside of any cellphone service in an area where, at any given time you need to reach someone, I highly recommend renting a satellite phone. Both my wife and I can have that extra measure of peace knowing that for $9 per day, we both have a way of communicating.  With this trip, I also carried a bottle of bear spray. Now I realize that bears do not inhabit the colorado plateau anymore, but it is not bears I am worried about. It’s mounain lions!  The thing with mountain lions is they are very shy, secretive and hunt without their prey ever knowing they were there and there are those who have been attacked and mauled in these parts of Utah. This is their environment. The other item I always carry with me is a fairly large hunting knife. You never know…

So as the night went on, I would keep waking up to utter silence.  The one thing that I was in AWE about each time I awoke, were the stars.  Soooo many stars and the air was so clear that it almost made you dizzy from looking. It was then that the reality of God’s sovereignty, that is he is and always was in complete control of everything.  After that reality check, I comfortably went back to sleep.

Then came morning and the anticipation of what I would experience that day. As I said in my last post, Burr Point sits atop a canyon overlooking the Dirty Devil River. From this point, I watched the sun rise above the horizon. All the while I was snapping photos, walking around and of course, exploring. As the sun peaked over the horizon, I could feel its warmth on my skin. Wow that was cool.

And for those who like Black & White…

Shortly after, I heard a pack of coyotes start howling. I always love this sound and cannot get enough of it. Call it strange, but the notes they yell out are very harmonious. I tried to follow the sound so that I could get a visual on the and hope to be able to snap some photos of them, but they eluded me.

I returned to the car and had breakfast.  Thats right, a bowl of fruit loops.  Anytime I travel, I purchase a small styrofoam cooler, pack in some ice, milk, beverages and food necessities. But since daylight was burnin’ it was time to head out. I had a long drive ahead of me and a long stretch of dirt roads through the Burr desert. But not before catching in the view! Notice how patriotic I am?

This area of Utah is near the Henry Mountains. From what I read, it is one of the last, if not the last, mountain ranges to be explored in the US. By far, one of the more difficult ranges to have access to as there are very few roads that enter and those that exist, are extreme 4×4 roads.  Several years ago I came to this very same place and camped with a good friend. We did take the road in and I was very pleased with its natural beauty but some of the roads had extreme ruts and were almost impassible.

The Henry mountains also have a herd of bison about 400 strong. You would be lucky to find one though unless you knew their habits.

I traveled on highway 95 and 276 south toward Bullfrog Utah eventually turning west onto Burr Trail.  Basically drive around the Henry mountain range over to Capital Reef National Park which is a very small but beautiful park with alot of native history.

Once I arrived, the road once again became dirt and rocky. The road eventually becomes very narrow and starts to switchback at a steep angle. But with some skilled driving, I eventually made it to the top of the plateau and caught view of the Henry’s again.

After this, the road finally became somewhat level for about 18 or so miles until I reached the town of Boulder Utah.  Just before entering this small town I noticed something very peculiar on the sandstone mountains. There were black dots scattered all over. So curiosity got the best of me and I stopped to pull over and investigate.  I still dont know what they were but if any geology experts are reading this, I would sure like to find out. It seemed as though they were iron rocks. I picked some up and they were very heavy.

I realized I still had alot of ground to cover before arriving at my next camping spot so I scampered on to the town of Escalante. On my way there, the road between Boulder and Escalante has a unique name. The Hogback. The views were incredible. Here is a video from the road via my facebook account.

On my way I ran across two turkey vultures. One kinda stared me down and did intimidate me. I was hoping i wasnt a sign of things to come..lol!

Once I arrived in Escalante, I had to turn off on a dirt road called “Smokey Mount Road” and entered Grand Staircase Escalante National Monument. This place has almost 1.9 million acres of  rugged terrain and was the last place in the continental US to be mapped. If you ever travel there, you will know why. So why did I choose this road? Well at the time, it seemed very remote and had interesting terrain on a map. And much to my dissapointment, I was right. It was incredibly remote…and trecherous even for my rental 4×4. The 70 mile trip took 4 hours to travel. My back hurt from all of the bumps in the road. I did make one stop to take in the view at the crooked tree.

Shortly therafter, I finally came to a long stretch of level trail. It wasnt gravel, rock or dirt…it was red sand. But at the end of the road, I finally reached my destination which offered awsome vistas and could even see Page Arizona in the distance.  I parked the car in a clearing and had me some chow while listening to some light music.  All alone, not even a coyote or jack-rabbit. That night, the moon was my nightlight and actually slept better than the previous night.

Just before reaching Hanksville, I traveled through Capital Reef National Park. What a neat neat place. When the sun starts to set, the rocks change colors dramatically. The first photo is the goosenecks. Whoa..watch your step.

Dont be in a hurry to get anywhere fast. Utah has alot of open spaces. It does take time to get from points A to B. After about 30 minutes or so, I came across Factory Butte. To my understanding this has been turned into a recreation area for dirt bikes and ATV’s which, being someone who is not a rider, is disappointing. In my own opinion, it takes away from the natural surroundings by scarring the terrain with tire tracks and loud noises. Interestingly, when nobody is around, you can actually hear your ears ring from the silence.

So…When I got to the dirt road turnout from the “Trail of the Ancients” highway it was dark. I had to drive 11 miles in the dark on this trecherous dirt road where I almost hit an owl. When I finally arrived at Burr Point, the moon was shining bright and lit up the canyon very nicely. Burr Point is at the rim of a canyon near the dirty devil river. It is about an 1800 foot drop at the rim and, well is quite breathtaking. By the way, that is me standing on the edge.

 
I fell asleep for the night and woke up around 3AM. I got the camera and shot a photo of the moon setting behind the Henry Mountains. Beautiful!!!! I went back to sleep for a while and woke up just before the sun rose. I opened the sunroof and snapped a photo of the stars…..again Breathtaking!!

I have lived in Davenport for about 5 years and there has been a mated pair of Red-Tail hawks that live in the wooded area behind my home. They have always been very shy but every once in a while, they would allow me within 25 yards before flying away.

 I had a small dog crate that I took with me and went back to the hawk. He was still there so I slowly moved up and placed the cage over the top of him and turned the cage on its side using a long stick to slowly nudge him in. He immedately went on his back as a defense move and grabbed the stick I was using with his talons. There was no way I was going to fight with him so I let him have it. While my heart pounded trying to get him in the cage, the female kept flying by wanting me to leave and screeching at me.

I brought him home to wait for the return phone call from the Raptor Recovery Center, but I had to take some photos at a park in Rock Island. As I was leaving the park, I received the call and planned to meet the person in Walcott, IA. When she arrived (just before a huge thunderstorm hit the area) she examined the bird and noticed he had been starving for some time and did not look very healthy. She was going to take him back and try to rehabilitate him back to good health and then release him in the spot where I found him.

Unfortunately I was notified two days later that the bird did not survive. And upon examination, was found to have been starving due to a broken wing and the inability to hunt. Now, the female hawk has abandoned this territory and I have only seen one passing through. I sure do miss having them around and hope that one day soon, another pair will take over this hunting territory.

With this blog, my intention is to write about everything I do with photography. Whether posting photos of weddings, portraits, day to day, or travel, I will even include tutorials for those wishing to learn more about photography.