Southwest Colorado
Gary & I were based out of Ouray, Colorado the first 10 days of October in 2003. We
had quite a bit of rain and were past peak on much of the fall aspen color, but still had
a great trip. There was still quite a bit of color at lower elevations, the Durango-Silverton
narrow gauge railroad, the mining ghost town of Animas Forks and lots of mountain
scenery that gave us some good shooting. In addtion to the history, particularly mining
history, Southwest Colorado offers lots of scenery---hardly a surprise.
We spent most of a day at Animas Forks, driving up a very poor road with four wheel
drive and spending much of the time in a snow storm---tough photography.
We found fall color on several
mountains and this waterfall
right off Colorado Highway 550,
a few miles south of Ouray. Just
slighly further south is Red Mountain; this shot with golden aspen in the foreground.
Photographing the Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad was a highlight of our trip---we started in Durango and photographed it several times on its trip
to Silverton. This train is truly a rich part of Americana.
In 2007 Sheryl & I were able to ride the train on a beautiful fall day. We had a great time in an open car, photographing the Animas River valley to and from Silverton.
Once again, we encourage to check out more Colorado photos at our Shutterfly site. Gary & I also offer a guide to Southwest Colorado and to Rocky Mountain NP at