Sharp Contrast: Blue Sky and White Snow

Today's Mt. Princeton photo entry was taken at the overlook east of Johnson Village. When it is a sunny day like today, I notice how upbeat and positive I become. Today is a great day to be in the mountains!

Yesterday, with the help of Dennis Coates, I got my 1964 Cadillac running again. Richard Price suggested on my fan page that driving the car was indicative that I had spring fever. Perhaps that's true, but note how much snow remains in today's picture! ;)

-Steve (March 11, 2010)

At approximately 9 p.m. last night in Buena Vista, the weather conditions were dry. Somewhere between falling sleep at 10 p.m. and going outside at 7:30 a.m., a significant weather system came through that dumped 8-12 inches of snow on us. The snow keeps coming! Above is a photo from the south edge of town.

Today I plan to edit a particular chapter of my book that covers my time in Brawley and Blythe in California. Ahhhh the agony of book writing!

-Steve (March 10, 2010)

For the first time in the history of this web site, today I have made two Mt. Princeton photo entries in the same day! How about that? This evening's sunset had a few soft pink clouds hovering over Mt. Princeton's summit, and I did not want to wait until tomorrow to post it.

In other news, I created a test video. I played around with the video function of my camera and my tripod. :)

-Steve (March 9, 2010)

As I type this on Tuesday, March 9, it is an amazingly bright and sunny morning. If you want to see what it's like, I suggest you visit my web cam immediately.

Ahhh but the photo above was taken yesterday afternoon. We had another day of snowfall in Buena Vista. In the afternoon, I wandered by car and snapped various photos inside Cottonwood Canyon. You can see all of my snow photos here: Snow Day In The Mountains.

Back in the valley, I pulled out my tripod and captured this self-portrait with Mt. Princeton in the background. It looks so cold and arctic, doesn't it? :)

-Steve (March 9, 2010)

On Sunday morning, I went for a very brisk bike ride from Buena Vista to the Cottonwood Hot Springs. It was so cold! As I was cycling quickly on the descent, I think my ears were at risk of becoming frostbitten. Ha ha ha!

Above is a creative shot of my bike, Mt. Princeton and the road. As you can see, I need to wash my bike. ;)

-Steve (March 8, 2010)

Last night's sunset was a great one! I sipped on wine as I watched and photographed it. I will keep my expectations low, but I feel inspired to go outside more often to photograph sunsets over the mountains.

I wish all of you a happy and joyful Sunday. Life can be so rough sometimes, can't it? Recently I have begun to memorize Psalm 123, and verse 1 reads: "I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth." Be encouraged today!

-Steve (March 7, 2010)

It was sunny and fairly warm this morning, but by midday clouds rolled in. Hence the icky gray sky above the mountain in today's photo. I think we're supposed to receive a generous portion of snowfall on Monday. Yay!

So far, today I saw my hairdresser in Salida and worked on my taxes. It should be a lazy day for the rest of the day. I think the Naegele family might invite me over to play Aggravation (a board game) with them.

Oh lastly, I do encourage you to connect with me on Facebook. My fan page is: www.facebook.com/coloradoguycom

-Steve (March 6, 2010)

Today included my first outdoor bike ride for 2010. I probably should have taken more pictures of the route and scenery, but at least I snapped a photo of myself with the bike. Of course, above is today's Mt. Princeton photo entry. It has been unseasonably warm - sunny and in the 40's lately - and the snow on the ground has become noticeably soft these past few days.

In other news, I made a major step this week that I think might catapult me closer toward completing my book about my 2008 bike trip across America. Such hard work! I can assure you of this: Biking across America is much easier than writing a book about biking across America! ;)

-Steve (March 5, 2010)

For the past two evenings, I have visited my old myspace page after about 12+ months of ignoring my profile: myspace.com/stevelonghair. The web site seems like a ghost town these days. I have 220 myspace friends and last night there were ZERO friends online. Anyway, it's been fun to visit again ... It feels like it's 2006 all over again! :)

As usual, Mt. Princeton looked very tall and impressive throughout the day. Recently I have been giving a lot of thought to biking across America again. The desire is definitely stirring in my heart. But who knows if I will ever do it again?

-Steve (March 1, 2010)

Today's Mt. Princeton photo entry was taken at the soccer field on the east side of Buena Vista near the river. It is good to see the sun out!

Yesterday I made a photo gallery of Colorado snow scenes from last week. Today I hope to work on my taxes - wish me luck with that. :)

-Steve (February 28, 2010)

Winter has been going on for four months and it is not ending soon, as March and April are typically our snowiest months of the year. Bring on the freezing cold, the ice and all that snow!

Today's Mt. Princeton photo was taken near the elk refuge on Chaffee County Road 361. I was hoping to photograph the elk herd, but instead I only spotted some deer.

-Steve (February 27, 2010)

The sunset was not very impressive, but at least Mt. Princeton was included for today's photo entry.

In personal news, I am considering a vacation of sorts that would be a walking adventure. I'm thinking about walking from the northern border of Chaffee County (near Granite) and journeying all the way to Poncha Pass, the south end of the county. I'll keep you posted! :)

-Steve (February 26, 2010)

We are getting more snow on this Thursday. If you live in Colorado, you've got to love the snow. Snow rocks the house!

Photo above was taken while pulled over on the shoulder of Cottonwood Pass Road (Chaffee County Road 306).

-Steve (February 25, 2010)

It snowed all weekend in Colorado, and for much of the time the mountain was not visible. Here's a photo taken on this Monday morning.

I created two new pages from the weekend: Snowshoeing and Weekend Snow Photos.

-Steve (February 22, 2010)

This might sound strange, but I was walking along Chaffee County Road 306 on this cold and snowy Saturday. For much of the day, it was extremely dark and dreary with little visibility of the Sawatch Range. Well, as I was walking, things cleared up enough to see the mountain. Thankfully, I had my camera with me! I wonder if the people who live in the mint green house ever visit this web site, ha ha.

In other news, I went snowshoeing today. I am still working on the photos, but you can see a six minute video of our snowshoeing adventure! :)

-Steve (February 20, 2010)

I snapped this morning's photo near the Chaffee County Rodeo Grounds while on my way to the gym. Thankfully, I have today off from work because of Presidents Day.

I have two new pages over the weekend. My Sunday visit to St. Elmo has some nice photos and my backyard web cam is running again.

-Steve (February 15, 2010)

For quite awhile, I had wondered whether Mt. Princeton's summit could be seen from the St. Elmo Ghost Town, located inside Chalk Creek Canyon. After my latest ascent of the mountain in August 2009, it was clear that the answer is YES!

So this morning I made a "routine visit" to St. Elmo to do some photography, and Mt. Princeton in the background. See the two snowy points in the top center? The one on the right is farther back and is the highest - that's the top of Mt. Princeton! :)

Lastly, a photo gallery of today's pictures is coming soon. I will be sure to post that on my ColoradoGuy.com Fan Page once it is up!

-Steve (February 14, 2010)

It's another frustrating evening from a photography standpoint, but at least it's something new.

Since I have nothing else to say, I might as well go into commercial mode. Have you seen some of my other web sites? My snow web site has grown a lot in popularity: www.snow-pictures.com. Check it out! :)

-Steve (February 12, 2010)

Do you like snow? Above is the view of Chaffee County Road 337 in Buena Vista. There are many beautiful snowy views on this dirt road! :)

If you visit this web site, I want to formally say thank you! I do my best to please and entertain, although I haven't been too satisfied with the quality of my recent Mt. Princeton photos. Ah well. :)

-Steve (February 9, 2010)

Don't believe all the Groundhog Day nonsense. We still have a reliable 8-10 weeks of snowy wintery weather! Today's photo was taken while pulled over on Highway 24, north of Buena Vista.

In other news, I created a page commemorating the 2010 Drama Queen Day holiday! :)

-Steve (February 8, 2010)

This was my dilemna from a photography standpoint this morning: It was mainly a sunny day with blue skies, but thick clouds hovered over the Sawatch Range, including Mt. Princeton. I wanted to zoom-in on the summit, but those clouds wouldn't allow for a decent picture. Thus, I zoomed out to capture the pretty blue sky above instead. I think it's a pretty picture. (Photo taken from the parking lot of the Colorado Mountain College extention campus in Buena Vista.)

I spent the morning in Salida. I snapped photos of F Street and myself with my hairdresser that made it on my Twitter feed. Amber is the greatest!

Oh and lastly, I uploaded another video from last weekend. Please enjoy Driving in Eastern Colorado. (1:01). :)

-Steve (February 6, 2010)

The photo above was taken this evening as I was returning from Leadville to Buena Vista. I like the pink shaded clouds on the left.

I finally posted my photos of the Oklahoma High Point. 17 U.S. state high points down, 33 to go! :)

-Steve (February 5, 2010)

I snapped this photo during the day's final rays of light. The title above reads "Icy Blue Mountain Scene" because of the distinctly white, silver and blue shades.

Last weekend, I hiked to the Oklahoma High Point with friends. Definitely watch that video! Photos are coming too. :)

-Steve (February 2, 2010)

Today's photo was taken this morning as I drove north on Highway 24 in Buena Vista. I carefully turned the camera toward the mountain as I watched the road and snapped three photos - this was the best one.

Check out a 3+ foot icicle I photographed in Leadville on Monday. Pretty nifty, isn't it? :)

-Steve (January 27, 2010)

Oh what horrible lighting! Despite it being a generally sunny winter day, a band of clouds have been hovering over Mt. Princeton and much of the Sawatch Range. At 1 p.m., I zoomed-in on Mt. Princeton as I sat on the shoulder of Chaffee County Road 306 ("Cottonwood Pass Road"). These kinds of photos greatly frustrate me, as I like "clean and crisp" landscape shots, but this is what nature has given us today. I hope you like it.

Regarding the Colts, Jets, Saints and Vikings in today's conference championship games, I want to say I have a positive regard for all four teams. It would be nice to see any of them win a Super Bowl ring. I will admit I am cheering for Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings later today. Why? Well, I'm 38, and so I have got to back the "old man" ... C'mon Vikings! :)

Here are my latest pages: Sunrises and Sunsets in January 2010 and Utah Trip page. Also, take a look at the new avatar, color scheme and background picture on my Twitter profile. I don't mean to be so twittertistical, but I must express my joy. ;)

-Steve (January 24, 2010)

After buying it two weeks ago, finally I pulled out my tripod to tinker with it and actually use it! Above is the very first photo used with my tripod, and as you can see I am included in the photo. I trust this contraption will make it easier to capture self-portraits. Oh and that ain't a shabby view of Mt. Princeton either, is it?! :)

This morning I have been thinking about bicycling across America again. So many things (particularly having time and money) need to happen before I would do it again, but it's on my mind. I invite you to read my 2008 bike across America journal if you are interested.

Lastly, a significant fire with explosions occured in Leadville yesterday afternoon. Some news stations in Denver and Colorado Springs noticed my tweeted photos like this one and used them in news stories. I also interviewed live by phone with a Denver news anchor, as I spoke like an "on the scene reporter" and shared what I saw and heard. The crux of the story was two large warehouse-sized buildings with various businesses were burned to the ground. The fire began at 3 p.m. and lasted throughout the evening. At approximately 4:30 p.m., the fire apparently ignited something that created a really loud explosion that was heard throughout town. I was approximately 0.2 miles away during that explosion and it rattled the windows and items in our building ... It was so loud!

-Steve (January 23, 2010)

The day began with a stunning and colorful sunrise. Much of the sky, however, is gray and overcast, and snow is in the forecast later today.

For today's photo, I zoomed-in somewhat with my new camera. Do you see the horizontal line going across on the left above timberline? That is the standard hiking route to the summit. I've ascended this mountain twice via that trail: 2005 climb and 2009 climb.

Lastly, I encourage you to become a fan on Facebook. I am always encouraged by seeing an increase in numbers and you benefit by being notified of any and all photography updates. It's just a suggestion. :)

-Steve (January 17, 2010)

I visited my hairdresser in Salida this morning, and then wandered by car in Wellsville in western Fremont County. On my way back to Buena Vista, I snapped this photo from Highway 285 as I was driving. No worries, I was safe! :)

-Steve (January 16, 2010)

I snapped this photo while pulled over on Chaffee County Road 306 ("Cottonwood Pass Road") early in the morning. I like the snow and the morning light highlighting small portions of the mountain. Very pretty!

-Steve (January 13, 2010)