Grand Junction

On the border of Utah matching the desert landscape of the western desert is a valley filled with massive sandstone monuments. These stacked bluffs sit at a crossroads up on a hill by the main highway. Riding along Rim Rock Drive on the cliffs edge to see the amazing views

Shadows played a significant part in how I decided to edit these photos. With a high contrast on the rock faces and a subtle shadow on the ground below made the rocks glow along with the landscape. Bringing out the feeling of the desert with bright oranges and deep greens. The rocks seemed to come alive as old men and elephants came out of the cliffs

I decided on this color scheme for this section of the trip because of how well the colors gave the feeling of a desert. With the bright oranges, browns, and yellows and a white vignette providing a space for the deep dark greens to pop out of the sand. Trees spread across the valleys like lichen, clinging to the cliffs and thriving in such a harsh environment

Million Dollar Highway

Going further into the state I passed through the mineral rich San Juan Mountains. Following the Umcompahgre River up the canyon the water runs green from the mineral runoff. Steep cliffs on both sides and a road only two cars wide you wind up a hill and pass through the Switzerland of the Rockies, Ouray.

At the top of the road sits The Red Mountains, numbers 1, 2, and 3. Large hills of mine tailings and wooden structures from decades ago cover the landscape showing its history as much as any sign could. The rusty iron rocks stain the trio red and orange while dark green pine trees climb along the hills.

The view from these high roads presented beautiful valleys and peaks dotting the horizon. Cutting through the rocks and winding its way through the sides of mountains. There was so much to see from way up here

Rocky Mountain National Park

For my final destination on this trip I went through the back of Rocky Mountain National Park to see the beginning of the Colorado River. A storm rolled past the forest behind me as I made my way into the park. It was the perfect setting for a sunset hike out to the spring. Walking along the rocky riverside meeting many birds and deer made it feel very magical

The way that the valley would open up to a view across the landscape and then close up into the pine trees again felt like running through a maze with random stops to see the sky. Some old buildings littered the grounds from pioneers long since passed. I can see why they would want to be somewhere so beautiful

Driving at the top of the world like this is an otherworldly experience. It almost looks like you are looking off into space with how far you can see. Without the clouds to ground you the blue sky feels endless