three weeks ago, i left dallas for a 10 state, 5,000 mile road trip.
the vast majority of the two week trip would be spent wandering my old haunts in the great states of wyoming and montana. however, the first night, having blown through oklahoma, kansas, and nebraska, i laid my head for the first time in south dakota at badlands national park.
it’s an eerie landscape. i have to say that i have never really seen anything like it.
i was lucky enough to be invited back to vermejo last week for another shoot.
the hummingbirds were very social.
there are a few groups of ferrel horses on the property. they don’t call them wild because at some point they were broken and used by humans. but they are now ferrel because they have been released and are free to roam the 600k acres.
i came across a group of about a dozen on the road down to the main lodge. i stopped the car and stepped out to snap a few shots. two of the horses came right up to me and began sniffing. they gently rubbed their long faces against me.
i had no idea what was going on, but it seems these powerful, wild creatures wanted to be friends. perhaps they missed the strange bond that horses and humans share.
one of them seemed interested in tasting my camera.
i had a strong urge to hop up on one of their backs and see if they remembered what it was like to transport a human to and fro. i decided against that idea.
it was really hard to get back in the car and leave my new friends…
but i did. after all, we had lots of great wine to drink…
the next day, we set out for lower underwood lake to catch some trout. i have never fly fished before, so i thought i’d give it a try…
with the help of a fantastic guide, and a lot of luck, i got to land a 3 lb brown. good looking fish!
that afternoon, john and i headed for the streams. fly fishing streams is a whole different game, and frankly, my confidence was high and i wanted to give that a shot as well.
the weather had different plans however. the sky opened with reckless fury. lightning and wind kept us from fishing the rest of the day.
we set out at 6 a.m. the next morning to catch our flight out of amarillo. on the way out of vermejo, we were treated to a spectacular sunrise.
a great last memory to hold in my mind of this amazing place…
i sincerely hope i have the opportunity to return, some day.
i didn’t want to leave telluride and the cool, mountain air last week. traffic, 100 degree weather, and “work” awaited.
luckily though, in between, i would have the chance to see the southwest u.s. through my windshield on a 19 hour drive back to texas…
i’ve never been to great sand dune national park. it’s not the best n.p. i’ve ever been to, but it’s an incredible natural wonder. i’m glad i made the side trip.
fortunately, i only have to be back in dallas for a few days. then it’s back to vermejo park ranch, new mexico!
i drove bd to the airport in montrose thursday morning. i decided to take the backroads on the return trip to telluride.
last dollar road traverses high mountain ranch land, prairies, and passes. it provides some spectacular views of the southern san juans.
after last dollar, i grabbed a bite in town, and headed back out to drive lizard head pass.
on my way to lizard head, i noticed trout lake, which i had unknowingly visited some four years ago with another best friend of mine, trotter.
as i drove by, i thought to myself that this particular lake looked eerily familiar… like i had known it in some vivid, reoccurring dream. and then it clicked; years ago, trotter and i drove up to durango to visit his dad. we drove remote mountain passes all week long, and at some point came across trout lake. i wouldn’t have remembered this at all unless i hadn’t captured one of my favorite pics of the trip by chance at this tiny lake. here it is…
and those same peaks, four years later, at a much worse time of day, choppier water, and minus the human interest…
regardless, it was fun to spend a little time at trout lake, remembering the great times we had just a few years ago. hard to believe, my friend is now engaged and living in cartagena, columbia!
heading back in to telluride. i always liked this view. but i’ve never captured an image of this view that i’ve liked all that much… guess it’s hard to do justice to such an amazing place.
one of our reasons for dropping by telluride last week was that the avett brothers were playing a free show in the mountain village on wednesday. i’ve grown to really enjoy their music over the years. but what’s the best about the avetts is their live performance.
i’ve shot and written about this band numerous times, so i feel like i’m just beating the drum here, but their intensity is no joke.
you just have to see them live.
one thing they did mention a few times was that they were really feeling the altitude. telluride mountain village is well over 10,000 ft. and though their music lacked no heart, it wasn’t as spot-on as they usually are. but no matter. i still enjoyed it thoroughly.
if you ever have the chance, GO SEE THIS BAND. you will not regret it.
andrew slaton | blog 