Garden of the Gods

You can read all about the Garden of the Gods HERE.  Amazing as it might seem, this is the first “proper” post about it on this blog.  And, it’s only a small portion of all the photographs I have, dealing only with my first visit there.

This post, you see, is about the first time I visited the place, back in 2004.  It was October of 2004, and we were on a grand loop drive . . . we went to Illinois to pick up Melisa’s dad, then drove to Colorado Springs, then to Bozeman, Montana, then back to Chicago, and home to Michigan.

This is the first photo I took in Colorado, coming in on Highway 24.

That is Pikes Peak; my first view of it.  Much like people heading out West on wagon trains,  I stopped and gaped.  They did not have the power lines poles to contend with, but then neither did they have paved roads.  I made the best of it; I used the poles to lead the viewer’s eye to The Peak.

Then I did it in selenium . . . 

We did not know where we were going . . . we just rode Hwy. 24 all the way in . . . and ended up at Garden of the Gods.  

It was a tad fortuitous the sky was overcast to the Northwest, and indeed, slightly overcast  above us.  It made to a nice light that I think complemented the red rocks very well.  

Many more visits would be made after we moved here, but these are still some of the best photos I have of the place, strictly because of the light, and the contrast to the distant dark sky.

After spending some time among the rocks, we headed to the Visitor Center.

That’s the view from the balcony of the Visitor Center.   Here are a few more views.

Now, I know the coloring looks odd . . . I’ve done nothing beyond my typical adjustments, so the photos are very close to “as shot”.

There are paved roads through the park, and we drove around a bit.  

We saw trees grow from rock . . . 

We saw what must be part of every place that has red rocks . . . a balanced rock.

OK, so it does not look like a balanced rock . . . how about this?

I always thought the profile of the rock looked a bit like that of the Rocketeer  . . . 

That poster is copied from the Wikipedia entry for the movie.  If I understand the copyright as explained in Wikipedia, photos posted on there can be used for non-commercial use.  If not, I don’t have to worry too much . . . it’s not like I’m widely read.

That’s not the only strange image I get from looking at rocks.  This next photo has a petrified alien being sitting on a slab of rock . . . or maybe squatting . . . waiting to be awakened.

Gosh . . . I hope he was not going to the bathroom!  Imagine being petrified in that pose . . . for eons.

Anyway, I’m going to wind this down . . . Back then I was still in my stingy mode when I shot photos, so I don’t have many from the visit.  That changed as I became more comfortable with the digital medium, and memory started to get really cheap.

I will leave you with one last shot . . . 

I like the texture of both the rocks and the knurled trees scratching a living from between the barren rocks.  Garden of the Gods is on my way home, and I occasionally cut through it if condition hint at the chance for good photos.  That has not happened for a few years now, but perhaps this summer . . . 

Anyway, there are a few more photos in the SmugMug Gallery (HERE) for them who might be interested.  I did not switch on the “Original” setting because these are fairly rough photos, and it’s not really about the details . . . just enjoy the pictures.

If you enjoyed this moment, found it amusing, saw some decent photos, or learned something, feel free to share it.  However, if you hated the whole thing, were bored beyond belief, and consider it a waste of time . . . why, then, it’s the perfect thing to forward to people you do not like!  It will serve them right!  

Astute persons might have noticed these doodles, and correctly surmised they hold some significance for me, and perhaps for humanity at large.  If said astute person is curious about them, click on it for an explanation of their origin.

WordPress is still screwing around with trying to be a class operation.  As such, while they busily work to add features and themes I will never use, they are remiss in fixing problems like disappearing links.  So, if you click on the doodle, and nothing happens, this is the link it’s supposed to go to:  https://disperser.wordpress.com/2011/12/26/palm-vx-and-i/.  Note . . . there is no guarantee WordPress will keep this as a link, but at least you can copy it and paste it on a browser’s address field.

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