Custer State Park is located in the Black Hills of South Dakota, west of Rapid City. This large public park is located just south of the Mount Rushmore National Monument. Sylvan Lake is found northwest of the main park as part of an extension to the park. This small but scenic, man-made lake is “drop dead gorgeous.” It was created in 1881 when Theodore Reder built a dam (the Sylvan Lake Water Dam) across Sunday Gulch Creek. The lake area offers picnic places, rock climbing, small rental boats, swimming, fishing and hiking trails. It is also popular as a starting point for excursions to Black Elk Peak and The Needles, some spectacular, towering rock formations very popular with rock climbers. The lake was featured in Disney's 2007 film National Treasure: Book of Secrets. The film made the lake appear to be located directly behind Mount Rushmore when in reality it is actually five miles southwest of Mount Rushmore.

A nicely maintained trail encircles the lake and is well worth the stroll, especially to visit some of the hidden coves like the one pictured here. At the north end of the lake, the natural, granite, needle-rock formations help contain the lake waters. We visited here in May of 2021and were so impressed with the scenic location, we returned the next day hoping to obtain some more photos, but a weather system had moved in leaving much of the higher Black Hills terrain shrouded in clouds and mist. Remembering the old adage about making lemonade out of lemons, we decided to take the path around the lake and were rewarded with some beautiful misty scenes.

Here’s a top vote-getter for 2020. Would make an excellent and calming bedroom or sofa-sized photo in either infused aluminum or metallic paper.

With a year like 2020 that has included a world-wide deadly virus plague and a rancorous election season, aren’t there times you just want to get away from it all and experience some seclusion and quiet? In fact, it does not even take a year like 2020 to drive us to such a desire. We all need a break from the daily stresses of life and a place like the one pictured here seems to reach out and call for us to pause and linger at such a peaceful location.

2020 brought for us an opportunity to return to the Piney River on the west side of the Gore Range in the Eagle’s Nest Wilderness area north of Vail. Covering nearly 134,000 acres, this spectacular wilderness includes most of the Gore Range. Though close to Colorado’s “Front Range,” the rugged Gore peaks do not attract as much climbing activity as other ranges. Many of the peaks require some superior skills and fortitude. On a three-day backpack trip, we hiked all the way to Upper Piney Lake, then climbed Peak P. Along that hike, we encountered this placid scene. Though it requires several miles of hiking to reach, it is entirely worth the effort to experience such solitude, peace, beauty and calm.

Need a soothing photo to calm and relax? Here’s one that should help.

Water. It’s one of the most unique substances on earth and the universe, even though it is so common here on terra firma. It is the only natural substance on earth that is found in all three physical states at temperatures that naturally occur on Earth. When water turns to a solid (ice), it expands slightly so it floats on water. This keeps the oceans from freezing solid at the poles and keeps ponds and lakes from freezing solid in the winter, preserving the aquatic life below the frozen surface. Water is a universal solvent. Water has unique surface tension, which is one reason why it can give such beautiful reflections. Water is critical to all life on earth. Without it, we would not exist.

With all that in mind, is it any surprise that we find water, flowing in a stream, reflecting in a pond or cascading as in this image to be so attractive and refreshing? A gurgling brook, the ocean waves rolling to shore, a trickling fountain or a cascading stream can bring to us calm, soothing our spirits, refreshing us and restoring our souls. Can’t you just imagine relaxing by this place?

Photo taken at Rifles Falls State Park 2020

“Oasis”

Have a vertical space you want to fill with a larger print, here’s the perfect solution:

A dictionary definition of the word “oasis” is: “a fertile or green area in an arid region (such as a desert), or “something that provides refuge, relief or pleasant contrast.” Rifle Falls State Park seems to fit both descriptions. Surrounded by a more arid landscape, Rifle Creek flows across ancient limestone beds farther upstream and has, over eons of time, re-deposited that same limestone downstream to form terraces and cliffs laced with small caves and chambers. The creek then cascades over those cliffs in three major waterfalls and several smaller ones to create a lush, vividly green forest of trees and grasses below, a beautiful place of refuge and a stark contrast to the surrounding, drier hills.

In the spring of 2020, we had the chance to return to this small but lovely park and do a photo shoot one evening and then the next morning. The morning seemed to offer the best light and we managed to capture several images that do justice to this remarkable place, a fertile oasis in a land wanting for life-giving water.

Here’s another view of Rifle Falls with a little color thrown in and in a horizontal format.

A dictionary definition of the word “oasis” is: “a fertile or green area in an arid region (such as a desert), or “something that provides refuge, relief or pleasant contrast.” Rifle Falls State Park seems to fit both descriptions. Surrounded by a more arid landscape, Rifle Creek flows across ancient limestone beds farther upstream and has, over eons of time, re-deposited that same limestone downstream to form terraces and cliffs laced with small caves and chambers. The creek then cascades over those cliffs in three major waterfalls and several smaller ones to create a lush, vividly green forest of trees and grasses below, a beautiful place of refuge and a stark contrast to the surrounding, drier hills.

In the spring of 2020, we had the chance to return to this small but lovely park and do a photo shoot one evening and then the next morning. The morning seemed to offer the best light and we managed to capture several images that do justice to this remarkable place, a fertile oasis in a land wanting for life-giving water.

A long hiking day in the Indian Peaks Wilderness, located south of Rocky Mountain National Park, brought us near the end of the day to this beautiful cascading stream. On that day we had climbed two 13ers, Apache and Navajo Peaks. By the time we finished, we had covered over eleven miles and 3,500 vertical feet of elevation gain in very rugged country. In fact, the climb up Navajo Peak involved some semi-technical work in a near vertical 100-foot couloir (narrow gully). The hike to the peaks had taken us past Long Lake and Lake Isabelle, two beautiful, large and pristine lakes. As we dropped in elevation from Lake Isabelle on our way back, the trail took us along a fork of the headwaters of the South St. Vrain River. At that location, the “river” is merely a cascading stream, but a very beautiful one that enticed us to stop and spend some time. The combination of the granite boulders, vegetation and flowers lining the stream with the waters tumbling over the rocks lent itself to a nearly perfect scene.

The way we photographed the water is sometimes referred to as the “angel hair” effect. It is most easily achieved when there is no direct sunlight or lighting is low. Shutter speed is slowed to at least 1/8th of a second while aperture must be compensated quite a bit to eliminate over exposure. At such a slow shutter speed, the moving water blurs creating the popular effect. While it’s always fun to photograph a water scene like this, it’s even more enjoyable to just sit streamside and enjoy the cool waters and the sound of the stream – a brief respite for weary souls.

Any time we come across a mountain scene like this, an old song comes to mind. Its name is “Cool Water” and the line, “cool, clear water” is repeated several times in the composition. Written in 1936 by Bob Nolan, the song is about a man and his mule named Dan, crossing a desert area and being tantalized by mirages of cool, clear water. What is pictured here is certainly and gratefully no mirage.

The group, “Sons of the Pioneers” first recorded this song in 1941 but it did not immediately become a smash, country hit. The same group recorded it again in 1948 with Vaugn Monroe and it held a much higher position in the radio charts for 13 weeks. Since then, a wide variety of musical artists have recorded their own versions. They include: Hank Williams, Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters, Marty Robbins, Burl Ives, The Rooftop Singers, Tom Jones, Riders in the Sky, Lorne Greene, Mason Williams and Johnny Cash. Go figure!

The clarity and purity of the water in this scene is what seems to attract most people. We found this pool on the return from a climb of Apache and Navajo Peaks in the Indian Peaks Wilderness south of Rocky Mountain National Park. When you find a place like this, you’re immediately drawn to take a cool drink or dip your feet in and give them a refreshing bath before continuing on the long hike back to the trailhead. The beauty of our Colorado Rocky Mountains is water like this in a high mountain setting.

The La Plata Mountains northwest of Durango are often featured in coffee table books of Colorado for their splendid displays of wildflowers, particularly columbine. We have only travelled to these mountains once and a return trip will certainly happen in the near future.

Our occasion to photograph this waterfall came out of a misfortune. The day before this photo was taken, we had hiked up an old road along Boren Creek and climbed Babcock Peak (July 2012). Since there is some dispute as to which of three summits is actually the highest point for Babcock, we first found ourselves on the westernmost summit. From there, we could see that the next summit east of us was the highest so we had to descend several hundred feet down a tenuous couloir and then do some 3rd class scrambling to reach that middle summit.

Later that evening, we discovered that one of our cameras was missing. After searching our vehicle thoroughly, the only conclusion we could reach was that we had accidentally left it behind somewhere on the mountain. The next day we returned to Boren Creek and hiked about 3/5ths of the way back up the peak searching every place we had stopped the day before. We never found the camera. It may still be on that first summit, but we did find this beautiful waterfall on Boren Creek and the return trip gave us the opportunity to take more photos like this.

The 23rd Psalm in the Bible is perhaps the most well-known and quoted. A portion of the 2nd and 3rd verse reads, "He leads me beside still waters; He restores my soul." Just five minutes in a pristine and calm setting like this can do more to restore my soul than anything I can imagine. I think I can understand what the Psalmist was trying to say. Life in the city offers nothing comparable to this.

Found within the boundaries of the Holy Cross Wilderness, New York Lake and its outlet pictured here offers an unbelievably beautiful portrait of the Colorado high country. On a day hike to climb Finnegan Peak above New York Lake, we passed by this spot twice - once in the morning on the way up, then again in the afternoon, heading back. It took no coaxing whatsoever to stop here and bathe our feet in the refreshing waters after an arduous day of clambering over relentless rocks. The snow-fed waters offered a cool drink as well while we watched trout rise to the surface to feed. Anyone bring a fishing pole?  Do we have to leave?  Photo taken late July, 2011.

Water has the unique ability to create nearly perfect reflections when there is no wind and the lighting is right. And a reflective shot like this seems to create within us a calm and a sense of peacefulness or tranquility. When you're hiking in the mountains and come across a scene like this, you just have to stop, sit and soak in the serenity of the scene.

The occasion for this photo was a dayhike in Rocky Mountain National Park in late July of 2007. Our goal was to climb Powell Peak by hiking up the Glacier Gorge trail, then turning up toward Lake of Glass and Sky Pond, an area frequently photographed by those willing to make the long hike back there. Arriving at Lake of Glass in the earlier hours of the morning, we found this mesmerizing scene and stopped to take multiple photos.

We went on that day and attempted to climb Powell Peak, but rainy weather had quickly moved in and thwarted our plan, forcing us to retreat from the steep rock, covered with lichens that had become dangerously slick because of the rain. We may have failed in our climb that day, but we felt like winners getting a shot like this.

One of the more attractive features of the alpine tundra are the small ponds that may dot the landscape. We refer to them as "tarns," though using that Scandanavian designation at times is stretching the definition of the word. Their shallow waters often allow a glimpse of the colored rocks beneath and their frequently glassy surfaces provide opportunities for reflective photos.

This wide-angle photo, taken in mid-July of 2014 was in an area we had never been before. The location is the headwaters of Cross Creek in the northern Sawatch Range. (That's near Mt. of the Holy Cross.) The small, reflective tarn is unnamed and doesn't even show on the USGS Mt. Jackson quad, but the lake further back and left of center is Blodgett Lake. The symmetrical peak is an unnamed and unranked high 12er (12,806 ft.).

We had backpacked into this area from the Carter Creek drainage. Here, we found an amazing collection of lakes, (some still half frozen) tarns, cascading streams,  abundant snowfields left from winter and rugged mountains that comprise the core of the northern Sawatch peaks. It all reminded us of photos we've seen of the Alaskan Brooks Range.  Hiking that day across this large expanse of alpine tundra, we found it to be a home to both a small group of mountain goats and elk. Though we did see some fishermen at Blodgett Lake, the feeling of this area was one of solitude, remoteness and undisturbed wilderness.

About four miles southeast of a little town called Tincup lies a picturesque lake called Mirror Lake, in the heart of the southern Sawatch Range. It's an easy drive for most vehicles and the lake receives numerous visits daily. There's a small campground right by the lake as well.

This photo was taken the July 4th weekend of 2011. We arrived at this lake after an early morning hike close by and were more than surprised to find an open campsite which we promptly occupied. The next day, we planned to hike some nearby 13ers so that gave us the evening free to roam around and take some photos. The amazingly clear and warm day gave way to a long, lingering sunset that evening and we worked our way around the lake watching for a shot that would capture both the reflective lake and the golden light. With a little bit of luck, we also captured a fisherman standing on the shore hoping for that evening "catch." This is a typical Colorado mountain scene at its finest.

Labor Day weekend of 2011 brought us an opportunity to climb "Peak L" in the Gore Range near Dillon and Frisco. After a lengthy backpack into Upper Slate Lake, we found an attractive campsite in some trees overlooking the lake and directly across from Peak L. The next morning, we headed off and in a matter of hours, achieved the 3rd class summit of this prime representative of Gore Range peaks.

Nearby Peak L, but across the valley was another tempting summit named Peak R. At 12,995 feet, it seemed like a reasonable thing to go ahead and climb this high 12er summit even though we were at this time trying to complete climbing all the 13ers. So off we went with only sentence or two I had read in a book about a Class 2 route to the summit. The first two attempts to reach the summit failed. It was not until a third try that same day, that we finally found the route I had read about. By the time we reached the summit, it was after 4:00 PM and we had a long hike back to the campsite through rugged terrain with little if any trail.  As the sun was setting behind the peaks and we were still trying to find our way, we walked past this small, reflective tarn and even though we were in a hurry, we managed to take this photo that reflects some of the high peaks of the Slate Creek area.

We try not to duplicate too many images on this site but Dollar Lake in the Utah, Uinta Mountains, certainly deserves a second chance. A similar, wide-angle view may be found under "Mountain Landscapes." This photo places more emphasis on the tranquil water and reflected sky that seems to call out for a visitor to walk out on that grassy bank on the left, sit down and just absorb the serene view. Though the numerous backcountry campsites nearby may fill up on summer weekends, if you schedule a backpack trip on weekdays, you may arrive here to find this tranquil setting all but abandoned. With some ideal campsites only dozens of yards away, Dollar Lake offers an almost perfect backcountry home for a few days. Let's do all we can to keep it that way.

No mountain in all of America is more impressive or more likely to capture the imagination of a budding young climber than the Grand Teton. Soaring 7,000 feet above the plains of Jackson Hole and reaching toward that Wyoming blue sky, “The Grand” dominates a vast, western landscape for miles around. As a young teenager, on a summer vacation with family, I passed by here and vowed to return some day in answer to an internal call to ascend this peak. It took nearly 50 years to finally get around to answering that call, but the wait was worth it.

In August of 2014, Carrie and I, joined by three other capable friends, took on the challenge of lugging heavy backpacks up the steep trail to an awaiting campsite, then arose the next morning at 3:00 AM to begin the long awaited ascent. The fickle weather that day granted us a reprieve and offered us no more challenge than some expected wind and near freezing temperatures higher up. By noon, we stood upon that rocky summit, over a thousand feet higher than any other surrounding ground and gazed out across what seemed like half of Wyoming and Idaho. Six hours later, we were back down the mountain, packing up our campsite, and already contemplating the climb as a memory. But it’s an indelible memory and this reflective photo will always serve to remind me of that day.  

Photo taken at Schwabacher Landing – August 2014.   HDR
 

Some landscape scenes just make a person wonder, “Did this come about by random processes or did God create and design this just for our enjoyment?” The Maroon Bells near Aspen Colorado may certainly evoke such a thought. Majestic in size and elevation, their beautiful symmetry and unusual form seem to defy random processes of erosion. These peaks are iconic to the Colorado Rocky Mountains and are probably the single most photographed location. The view shown here is almost cliché, it’s been photographed so many times from this exact location, but this is nevertheless a classic photo and one which people certainly enjoy.

Thus, in late June of 2018, while visiting this area to climb some summits not too far away, we spent some time early in the morning as the first bus-loads of tourists began to arrive, taking some photos to add to our collection. Not only must early morning shots deal with hundreds of tourists in the way, but also a deep shadow on the left-hand side of the scene that obscures detail. To overcome this difficulty, this image is an HDR image that has combined five photos of the exact same scene shot at differing exposures. The result, as one can see, is a photo with greater detail in the shadow areas, but still not overexposed in the brightly lit areas, and a classic reflection.

Autumn in Colorado can be a glorious time of year. The leaves changing color; cool, crisp air; intensely clear blue sky with puffy white clouds; a freshness that comes with relief from the summer heat, all combined to invigorate us and draw us to the high country. This particular photo was taken on the Grand Mesa in late September of 2012. This was one of those special days and we had elected to take a mountain bike ride on one of the many mesa-top trails that led us to Waterdog Reservoir. The Grand Mesa is home to an estimated 200 or more lakes and reservoirs that offer great fishing opportunities. As we paused for a break here, the beauty of the scene delayed us even longer. Good thing we had brought a camera. We wish a photo could also convey the crispness in the air we felt that day and how alive it makes your senses, but you’ll just have to rely on your own imagination.