Natural History Wanderings

Rocky Mt. Nature Photographers reports

Drove down to Cuchara today, and it's very much a mixed bag. There isn't much to see along Hwy 12 from La Veta to almost all the way to Cuchara. Past Cuchara, things along Hwy 12 are pretty good, although still a few days from peak, so still lots of green. There are also patches of bland color and trees that have already lost their leaves. Off into the distance on some of the mountain slopes, things were rather disappointing with very large swaths with not leaves at all. FSR 422 to Blue and Bear Lakes was OK at best,but pretty much like along Hwy 12. Lots of color or nothing. If you're looking to shoot the big, wide, grand shots, that may be a problem. If you want to shoot close-up or nearby color, you can find stuff to shoot, but you'll need to work at finding it.

It is a far cry from the great conditions there a year ago.