Return to the Rockies

My wife and I just returned from a fun and spontaneous trip to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.  We ate a ton of excellent food: fried green beans at Ed's Cantina, Yak burger at Grubsteak, and breakfast + pie at You Need Pie!  It was a short trip but we managed to pack in a good bit of hiking and two primary photography locations: "The Chapel on the Rock" and Dream Lake.

After eating lunch at Ed's on Saturday, we drove to the Bear Lake trailhead and circled the parking lot a few times before finding a spot.  Though the trails were covered with 4 ft of snow, it was well packed, and we managed the 1 mile hike to Dream Lake with just microspikes.  After snapping the photo below, we had the opportunity to meet David Andrus of Andrus Photography.  David made it very clear that I WAS NOT supposed to promote his wedding photography business because he and his wife are very busy... but here is their website... www.andrusphotography.com .  I think that their photographs are fantastic, but lets be clear, I am not promoting their work... because I am not suppose to.

After hiking down from Dream Lake, we decided to scout our next shoot location at "The Chappel on the Rock".  The Saint Catherine of Siena Chapel, located in Allenspark, CO and the Saint Malo Retreat survived a fire in 2011 and withstood a major flood in 2013; though, the rest of the retreat did not fair so well.  I am going to dig a little bit and see what the state of its recovery is.  I will post any updates that I have here on the blog.

Though I did snap a few shots of the chapel on our scouting visit, I wanted to come back at sunset to get a different light on the magnificent structure.  In the meantime we milled around the downtown area of Estes Park and then returned to the chapel just before sunset.  After an excellent meal and beer + ice cream at Grubsteak, we drove up to our campsite at the Moraine Campground and curled up on the mattress in the back of the pickup for what would end up being a cozy, but windy night.

Well before sunup we drove back to the Bear Lake trailhead and hurried up to Dream Lake at a blistering pace to take pictures of the cliffs of the Hallett Peak ridgeline illuminated by the rising sun.  Though the sunrise wasn't bursting with color the way that I know it can, the sight was beautiful, and the experience was well worth the early morning trip.  We felt so invigorated that we continued to Emerald Lake, but stopped there and left the rest of the journey to the Hallett Glacier for those better outfitted for mountaineering.  Maybe next time.

A Quick Update

Hello internet, it has been over a year since I last checked in... sorry about that.  Quite a bit has happened since October of 2013.

List of what has happened in chronological order

Severed peroneal nerve in right leg
Had surgery to reconnect said severed peroneal nerve
Moved to Mobile, Alabama
Got married (in a cast and on crutches)
Went to Key West for our honeymoon (in a cast and on crutches)
Went to Disneyworld with the wife and In-Laws (in a cast and on crutches)
Taught Biology for a semester at the University of South Alabama
Got out of my cast and off crutches and started learning how to walk like a normal human again
Learned Aikido and Iaido
Finished writing and defended my M.S. thesis at the University of Montana
Volunteered with Habitat for Humanity in Mobile, AL
Got a job with Habitat for Humanity in Mobile, AL as a crew leader
Moved to Loveland, Colorado
Got a job as a stone mason
Began neuro-rehabilitation of my right leg
Started looking for a home to purchase in Greeley, CO
Got a job as a landscaper
Caught a bunch of rainbow trout
Got a job as a carpenter
Went to Disneyworld with the wife and In-Laws again
Went to see the 2015 Winter Classic in Washington D.C. (Go Caps!)
Failed to find an affordable home in a decent location in Greeley, CO
Found a new apartment to move into at the beginning of February


And that brings us up to the present.  I haven't been able to get out and take many landscape or wildlife photographs.  However, I did get the opportunity to take some great portraits and landed a few small gigs as a real estate photographer thanks to Jessica Tate (The Group Real Estate) and Laura Winkel (Colorado State Bank and Trust).  My wife finally cracked the whip and told me to get my lazy butt in front of the computer and update my website... so I did.  Updates include web versions for tablet and smartphones and updated portrait and real estate sections.  Now I just need to find time to get back to Rocky Mountain National park and get some winter pics.

Okie Dokie internet, I will try to check back in more regularly that once a year from now on.  Oh and also upload new pictures.

cheers!
-Patrick