Getting our of the Rut

Escape

I live in paradise, or darn close to it. Out-of-staters pay a bunch of money to come up and enjoy the cool mountain air and take in the views. The vacation home across from me has been proof of that the last couple months. But I will admit to sometimes taking it for granted. So this morning since I had an early morning pet sitting gig beyond Black Lake I decided to take advantage of having the camera in the car.

It had rained last night off and on and this morning the clouds were just breaking up over the mountains. I poured my coffee into a to-go mug and set out early. Time I figured to capture dawn over a strange mountain ridge.

Golden promise

Admitted this ridge was just five miles away but I am seldom there before the sun comes up.

A New Dawn

Same sun, same state, similar trees but so different it seemed from the dawn out my studio door. Maybe it was just the moisture in the air from the rain last night. Got an inch at my house.

Wheeler kissed by the sun
J. Binford-Bell

I cannot see Wheeler Peak, the tallest mountain in New Mexico, from my house. I have to climb a hill or jump into the car and go a couple miles. This morning with the sun on the peaks and the fog at its base it looked like a scene from a movie. Well, they did film the Montana scenes of Lonesome Dove here.

Homestead by J. Binford-Bell

And Black Lake was founded by homesteaders and the 1862 Homestead act. You could get title to 160 acres if you made improvements and stayed on the land for 10 years. One enterprising local family had every single member do just that and then deeded them all over to one huge ranch. Decedents still run cattle here but there is any number of abandoned "improvements" about for us photographers. This is one of my favorites.

Promise by J. Binford-Bell

Fences were also improvements. And they gave birds a place to perch. The Indian Paint Brush wasted no time springing into late bloom now that the rains have come. Such a difference a day and a few miles make on attitude. And rain. Rain really helps when you are in a drought.

Comments

  1. Ien in the KootenaysAugust 12, 2012 at 10:59 AM

    Beautiful. I loved "Lonesome Dove" and the Montana landscapes. Guess one East flank of the Rockies landscape can stand in for another. After all Broke Back mountain was filmed in Alberta.

    ReplyDelete
  2. LynAugust 13, 2012 at 6:00 PM

    Beautiful area, is there a difference in altitude between where you live and where you took the pictures? You said the flowers were late due to the rain.

    ReplyDelete

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