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Randy Davison Photography Premier Edition
Trail Ridge Road We took our Cam Am Spyder to the top of the world and beyond. Moose (including a baby) tons of Elk, Marmots and spectacular vistas were all awaiting us on Trail Ridge Road. A visit (or 2) at the Alpine Visitor Center proved to be a great way to help strengthen the local economy.
Anytime is the right time for Rocky Mountain National Park Although September and October is the ideal time to photograph elk at RMNP, July provided ample opportunities to catch these guys’ close-up and personal. In September, during the rut, Elk can be a bit more aggressive due to the mating season. July offered a unique close-up photo opportunity. Packs of over 100 Elk were visible along Trail Ridge Road.
Big Horn Sheep One rare find in the park is Big Horn Sheep. Sadly, the day we hiked to Alberta Falls and Mills Lake was the only time we saw them and for this
you will just need to take my word. We were both mentally and physically exhausted and it was raining (just to add insult to
injury) and we saw a group of 10 or more at the appropriately named Sheep Lake. I physically could not stop. I figured we would get another chance. We didn’t.
RANDY DAVISON PHOTOGRAPHY
SUMMER 2016
Sheep Lake (at the top) gave us our first Moose sighting. A winding stream on the other side of Trail Ridge Road provided the very young moose (below). Not to worry; mother was standing on the shore above. Before the week was out we would “shoot” three more.
Testing my fitness I’m 60, but with a 6-day a week workout routine I was fit enough to make the hike to Mills Lake. Barely. At 9940 feet above sea level we should have spent another day getting acclimated to the higher elevations. Alberta Falls and Mills Lake tested our fitness. This 2-for-1 hike gave us a spectacular waterfall and amazing lake to keep you pushing that shutter. This came at a price and the climb and uneven terrain gets you using muscles you didn’t know you had. We were lucky that the next day there were few lingering effects. Everyday counts as there are no do-overs.
See you on the other side Trail Ridge Road, for my money, is THE most spectacular drive in the continental United States. What lurks on the other side is more free range elk and moose. What’s at the very top? Marmot. This furry little creature is often very elusive, scurrying from here to there at higher elevations. Fortunately for us, this little fellow was a camera hog as we got several great images before he dashed off.
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RANDY DAVISON PHOTOGRAPHY
SUMMER 2016
The perfect blend of wildlife and scenery Rocky Mountain National Park offers up a perfect blend of wildlife and scenery. These 265,761 acres have been set aside for all of America to enjoy. If you have had the pleasure, I suggest you go again. If you haven’t, then don’t die wondering. GO! People always offer up excuses of why they can’t do something. It’s only money and you will just make more. GO! If not RMNP then pick another. This nation has set aside 400 National Parks to enjoy. One is just right down the road from you. GO! Life is meant to be lived. Corny as it sounds, no one ever got to the end of his or her life and wish they had spent more time at work. Go live! No matter what time of year you go to RMNP, bring warm
clothing. In July, while on top of Trail Ridge Road we pulled in to the Alpine visitors center with blue skies only to leave 30 minutes later in a hailstorm. There are signs along the way that tell you to be on the lookout for fast changing weather. THIS IS NO JOKE. It can (and probably will) go from summer to winter in 5 minutes. There was never a need for a short sleeve shirt for me. Believe me, the 4th of July and cool temperatures felt awfully good compared to the 100 degree plus heat indexes we left behind. Leave your flip-flops behind. They have no place here. Good hiking shoes are a must. Try them on late in the day when your feet are their biggest. You will be glad you did.
Lake Irene Just a little turnoff on Trail Ridge Road and a short walk down some steps and you are there. Lake Irene isn’t particularly big. It’s nestled between two tree lines and if you walk back to where Ute trail begins (or
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ends depending your perspective) it will offer up a different vista you be glad you walked on for. One of the easiest hikes in the park yet is doesn’t disappoint.
RANDY DAVISON PHOTOGRAPHY
SUMMER 2016
Some highlights Mills Lake Named for Enos Mills, a naturalist and conservationist, he devoted his life after 1909 to preserving nearly a thousand square miles of Colorado as Rocky Mountain National Park. The lake that bares his name is on the right. It rests at 9940 feet of elevation.
Chasm Falls You will find this up Old Fall River Road. A mostly dirt road (do worry, we did it on a motorcycle). The waterfall comes early on and is just down a flight of stairs just off the road. You have to commit to the drive once you go. It’s 10 miles or so uphill and ends at the Alpine Visitor Center at the top of Trail Ridge Road. And the road is oneway only.
Alberta Falls About a mile hike in from both the Glacier Gorge Trailhead (get there by 6am or forget it. The lot fills up fast with hikers and many are overnight hikers) or park at Bear Lake Trailhead. Or take the shuttle.
Sprague Lake Always a great sunrise. The mountains light up with the sun at your back. Get there and set up for your shot before the “golden hour.” Look for mule deer as well and they frequent the area especially in the early morning.
RANDY DAVISON PHOTOGRAPHY
SUMMER 2016
Old Fall River Road Besides driving by and photographing Chasm Falls, navigating the hairpins curves (with ease on the Spyder) and seeing an occasional marmot dart across the road, there is the payoff near the top. On the left is a pond with the mountains in the background. Be sure to take a minute and not rush by. Beautiful scenery surrounds you.
The Continental Divide On the right is Poudre Lake. It sits at Milner Pass and is where water that runs off to the east eventually winds up in the Atlantic Ocean and water to the west makes it to the Pacific. Sometime you catch the lake completely still and it provides a mirror of the sky. This is one of a few places you can find a restroom along the road and like all the RMNP restrooms, remarkably clean and well maintained.
Camera settings As a rule I shoot on aperture priority mode at ISO 800 to control DOF (depth of field) without introducing excessive noise into your photo. This generally gives you a fast enough shutter for wildlife. You could make the argument for shutter priory mode when photographing wildlife. I did have a few moose pics in shade come out a touch blurry with one of my favorites of the baby moose playing in the water just a bit on the unacceptable side. For the elk about the mountain line I needed to take a reading off the ground, made of note of the settings, and switched to Manual and dialed in those settings. This kept me from getting only a silhouette of the elk. Always be sure to meter for your subject and not the sky.