FOURTH OF JULY JEEP

The owner of this Willys Jeep puts it out every year for the Fourth of July. I love the way it sits atop the hill against the blue sky.

I’ve wanted to do this pano for years and finally got around to it. Love the way it turned out.

Dennis

LAUDERDALE BY THE SEA SUNRISE TIME-LAPSE

I never quite got the explosion of color I was hoping for but I did enjoy this sunrise. Of course the kids and birds tested my patience already thinned by the early wake up call.

All in all, it was a nice morning to watch the sun do its thing.

Dennis

ORANGE AND CLOUDS

As the sun continued its journey toward the horizon a really strong orange shade began to appear. I was very excited by this. The clouds were in the perfect place to help that orange explode upwards. I just had to be patient and wait for it.

Dennis

MORTON OVERLOOK

Morton Overlook is a beautiful spot along the road up to Clingman’s Dome. I like it because it exemplifies the layers of ridges that make the Smoky Mountains so beautiful.

It is also one of my favorite places because the altitude gives me a break from the summer heat.

Dennis

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK TIME-LAPSE

This is the full trip through Rocky Mountain National Park. From sunrise at Rainbow Curve Overlook to sunset at Moraine Park. It covers the park from top to bottom and I love every minute of it.

Dennis

RAINBOW CURVE LENS FLARE

This is another photo from Rainbow Curve. I’m usually not a huge fan of lens flares and I never try to get them on purpose but there is something to the way flares look like pulses going across the valley in waves that I really liked.

Dennis

LARGE BUT TINY

The scale of these mountains is so large that it messes with your perception of distance. This ridge line is off to the right of the Alpine Visitors Center. There’s a trail that leads to the top.

I have no idea how far away I was from this other mountain but the tiny dots to the right along the trail are people hiking and the tiny brown dots to the left are elk. A very large animal made very small by the scale of the mountain.

Dennis

TOP OF THE WORLD

The hike to this spot from the Alpine Visitor Center isn’t long but man did the elevation kick my butt. It was worth it though. You really do feel like you are on top of the world. It’s not the highest point in the area but it feels like you can see forever.

Dennis

TRAIL RIDGE ROAD

This was such an incredible July day. A beautiful blue sky, dotted with puffy white clouds. And of course, snow on the ground in the summer. Still can’t get over that.

The most incredible thing about this photo though, is that I took it from a parking lot just feet away from Trail Ridge Road.

Dennis

THE GUM WALL

I was more intrigued than grossed out by the great gum wall. I don’t know how it started, why it’s there or why so many people care about it but once I got there, there’s something that made me want to stick around and check out the different types of gum, notes and decorations.

-Dennis