A Journey To The Heart
September came and went in a blink of an eye. It was over before it began, it felt like.
During that month, I lived on the road, residing in my trusty truck, "Brandi". My girlfriend Annie and I had meticulously planned our trip for several months with the primary objective of reaching Denver, Colorado to witness a performance by "The Head and The Heart" at the prestigious Red Rocks Amphitheater. The tickets were a gift from Annie, either for my birthday or Christmas, however, we couldn't quite recall which.
As September approached, it was time to embark on our journey. Our only set stops were to visit my parents in Idaho for a couple of days and then finally reaching Denver. The rest of our trip was spontaneous, discovering new places and experiences along the way. Our itinerary consisted of scenic hikes, relaxing by tranquil lakes, and exploring uncharted territories. Our route took us through Washington, Idaho, Montana, Utah, Wyoming, Colorado, and Oregon.
This visual diary below is a recollection of our trip. All the pictures were captured using my Nikon Z7 and Fujifilm X100v cameras, and processed with Adobe Lightroom Classic, Photoshop, Nik Plugins , and Lumenzia.
Spring Has Sprung
It felt like just the other day we had below freezing temperatures and snow. Now every day is almost 60 degrees, and we have 12 hours of daylight!
To me, it’s a welcome sign. I am so ready to get my backpacking gear out and head into the mountains to get away from it all.
Recently we got away for the day to wander around the forest. I made a few photographs that day. Two of which I was very fond of.
The warm morning light of spring was falling through the forest. I have missed this sort of light in the forest. It feels like it has been ages since I have been out in it.
This last one is a three image panorama of Ranger Hole. This was the first time I have ever stopped in here over the years. Usually I am passing it early in the morning heading to a secret spot I found years ago. Probably the best spot for sunrise in the Olympics is hidden nearby here. I’ll show you that later..
In other news I am working on launching a print store on here. The Prints navigation will now take you to the storefront where a few different sets of photographs are available. I will be adding more and more to it as time goes on.
Fall In The West
The fall here in North Idaho has been off to an interesting start. During our first week of fall, we had our first snow of the season. Trust me, I didn’t believe the forecast at all. Even though the die-hard skier in me was hoping it was going to be true. A few days after reading that we woke up and looked out the window to see high up in the mountains the trace of white on the treetops. Seeing the first snow is one of my favorite things. To top it all off Silver Mountain was having their first annual Cidefest in the Mountain Haus. We had the perfect excuse to go up the mountain for Ciderfest, we had to go play in the first snow.
During the brief little bit of time fall has been here the colors have been changing fast. on the daily drive, I see the colors growing more vibrant every single day. Which means I need to head up into the mountains and cover some ground on foot. It’s time to make some new photographs of this fall while I can. We’ve been able to go paddleboarding. Explore some of the gulches around the valley. A little bit of fall car camping, and a few delicious Bloody Marys at Quinns Hot Springs. Until I can get out and photograph more of the fall here are a few photos from this fall so far.
A few Hot Springs and the National Bison Range
Our journey started out on a Friday afternoon where we headed out from Kellogg, Idaho on a mission to visit three different hot springs over the weekend. Our first day we had a late start and drove over to Lolo Hot Springs for the night. It was fun place to visit but we were only there for a short time since we arrived later in the day.
Kettle House Brewing, Missoula, Montana.
Early the next morning we headed to Missoula to visit a couple breweries in town there. We popped by Kettle ouse Brewing and Tamarack Brewing. Both the breweries were incredible. Some of the beers are only available in Montana which I really enjoyed. Seeking out those new beers to try is a blast.
After our time in Missoula we headed North to Hot Springs, Montana for a night. I couldn’t resist sitting in the springs for as long as I possibly could. After the first soak we headed inside for a few drinks and live music. The artist that night was Larry Hirshberg. You can find his music over at http://larryhirshberg.com/
#86sqft in its natural habitat.
The start of our third day was a chilly one. I spent the night in the bed of my truck. It was a great reminder that I need to add some insulation to the bed to keep it a little warmer now that the colder months are back again. We warmed up our vehicles and hit the road to the National Bison Range. After driving for about an hour to get there we decided to take the longer two hour loop through the Bison Range. Which was well worth it. It was foggy and dark for the beginning of the drive. Slowly but surely as we drove the sun was making the fog burn off. By the time we reached the peak and began to head back down the other side the clouds broke.
Road side snacks in the Bison Range.
Lost in the fog.
As we descended back down the mountain we could see some of the bison off in the distance. Just a little too far away to get a photo of. Towards the end of the drive there was a great spot wide open spot that looked towards the mountains. There was about 20 bison in the field in front of us. Luckily one was just close enough for my 200mm lens to get a shot. Unfortunately the one nearest to us wasn’t looking too great. As you can see in the photo below. Before this quick trip I had never heard of the National Bison Range. I am beyond happy my friends showed me this place. It is truly gorgeous. I’m looking forward to making a trip back there and back into Big Sky Country.
A summer of Colorado.
It's been about two years since I up and moved to Colorado on a whim for the summer. I was working a job I really did not enjoy. Stuck in the same routine every single day. I was growing tired of that. Out of the blue I had a direct message on Instagram from someone I haven't seen since 2012 when I was working at Silver Mountain. It was from a family I had met while working there. The father worked as a general manger of Luxury Ranches that catered to the outdoor lifestyle. After meeting me he had offered me a job in Montana. A year later one in Moab, Utah. Then once again the summer of 2016. They were short handed and needed the help, and I needed to get away. Long story short I immediately took the job and left.
I loaded up my Yukon and off I went down to Crawford, Colorado.
One of my favorite things about being in Colorado was the roads were always so much fun. They also took you somewhere fun. Like Needle Rock Road, it was the road you took into the Luxury Guest Ranch I worked at.
Others took you deep in the forest and surrounded you with aspens.
Another one of my favorites that was just a short distance from the ranch took you into Black Canyon of The Gunnison National Park. Which is by far one of the most impressive places I have ever been. The massive rock walls that just drop straight down into the Gunnison River below. In my time there I was able to hike down into canyon for a day. I only took a few photos while down in the canyon since I was taking a guest down into it for the day.
In my time there I truly fell in love with the state. The mountains, the trees, the people, the lifestyles. There was so much to enjoy and I only was able to get a small taste of it. The fly fishing stood out here. I went as often as I possibly could. When I was able to have two days off I would pack up my SUV and head north to the Grand Mesa. The Mesa is a truly gorgeous place. I still have so much there on the Mesa alone that I want to see.
I made friends and connections there that will last a lifetime. Sadly I really only had photos of just a few people. I spent most of time photographing the landscapes and the details of it. I regret not taking more photos of the people around me.
As my time in Colorado dwindled, the seasons began to change and winter began to arrive earlier than expected. Something I would never complain about. Seeing the landscapes around slowly begin to have blanket of snow made me even more excited for the coming winter in the North West.
I'll be back for you Colorado. It's been too long.