WC Bean Photography

Since that time I've returned to Crested Butte and the surrounding area a few times for various reasons. As the self proclaimed "Wildflower Capital of Colorado" Crested Butte has attracted my attention in July more than once for the blooms. There were also the assorted hunting trips and fishing trips to the Gunnison/Crested Butte area back in the 70's that took me through the area as well as the memories of the area from camping trips with my family back in the 50's.

The biggest mystery is why I've never before considered coming here to photograph the fall colors. I've been to Rocky Mountain National Park and many other areas along the Front Range but never to Crested Butte. This year was when that all changed.

Being the research junkie that I am, I spent a few hours online looking at message boards and checking out other photographers' websites for inspiration on where to go and hit on the Kebler Pass area west of Crested Butte. According to one source, this area contains "the largest Aspen forest in the world" and has generated countless amazing images over the years. Research done, decision made, I got online and booked a room at the Cristiana Guesthaus for the last full weekend in September.

Fast forward to Friday, September 23, 5:30pm. I checked into the Cristiana, looked over my room (bed, shower, electrical outlet, check) had a peek at the 12 person hot tub, and set off to scout locations and possibly expose my first shots of the trip. On information gleaned from the Colorado Nature Photographers discussion forum I headed out the Kebler Pass road west of Crested Butte and got maybe ¾ of a mile before I came upon the first photo subjects. Out of the truck, expose some pixels, then back down the road.

I knew some of the CNP photographers were going to be in the area so I kept a lookout for stickers and other indicators. No luck so far. I was, however, lucky enough to find some beaver ponds that gave a nice reflection of one of the Beckwith peaks that would be lit perfectly at sunrise and made plans to be there with time to spare. Continuing on down the road looking for familiar faces, I came across some interesting detail shots and spent some time working those. When I noticed the sun start to go down I figured I should head back to see if I could score a sunset shot. Along the way I had run into a photographer with Rhode Island plates on his vehicle and chatted with him for a while.

Soon, he and I were racing the light. We came around a curve to a turnout that afforded a great view of The Dam with some spectacular light from the setting sun on it. If you're a photographer you've been there: Slide to a stop jump out and start trying to get equipment set up and viewpoint established while the light is rapidly fading. In this case we both missed it by about 10 seconds so we chatted a bit more and spent some time commiserating on the foibles of photographic life. After a while we headed up the road scouting more locations. About 10 miles further I noticed the cloud cover starting to show the first traces of color around the edges and a sillohette of one of the Beckwith peaks surrounded by clouds soon to be crimson with light from the setting sun. This time I got set up in time and got some great exposures of the colorful cloud formations. After I finished shooting I passed Mr. Rhode Island on the road, stopped and we agreed we'd been well compensated for our failure to catch the light on the Dyke.

After that I decided I had my location staked out for the morning, so I made my way back to the hotel for some editing of the day's shots and a little time in the hot tub before turning in. A note to any hotel manager that reads this: If you don't offer wireless internet, GET IT! For me, that may be the deal breaker in the future. The Cristiana Guesthaus does offer wireless internet for free and it was great. I spent about an hour editing photographs, checked e-mail, and then took a dip in the hot tub. There's nothing like an evening soak in a hot tub with a view of some of the most spectacular scenery in Colorado on a night when the temperature is in the mid 40's. A little nippy when you get out but totally refreshing.

I'd timed the drive back from my Saturday morning location to the hotel and knew I had to get up around 5:15 to be in position for the sunrise and was in place with my camera set up with 20 minutes to spare. The weather cooperated, giving just enough cloud cover to create a marvelously colored effect that was reflected in a series of beaver ponds. I got the shot then headed off in search of other locations. A short distance down the Ohio Pass road I came across the view across the valley to a rock formation called The Castles and knew I was looking at my Sunday sunrise shot. Back over Kebler Pass and down the road about 10 miles I ran across a group of photographers including one guy I'd known from my previous life in the photo biz in Denver. We yakked a little while and sort of caught up then I was off, back to Crested Butte to catch a nap and edit the morning's photos.

After replenishing my systems and charging batteries both personal and for the camera, I headed up the Gothic road to check out the aspens there. I knew from previous wildflower shoots in July that there were some big groves of aspens on east facing slopes and wanted to see how they might look in the late afternoon light. After a brief scout I resolved to spend the next morning on the Ohio Pass road and specifically at the Castles. Late afternoon found me heading back to the Dyke area on the Kebler Pass road to try and catch the setting sun reflecting from the peaks that I'd missed the previous afternoon. It was quite overcast but I took a chance and set up anyway. I spent about 45 minutes standing and watching the sky become more and more gray and several times was tempted to pack up and head for the hot tub,but I had committed to staying there and finally, I was rewarded with some gorgeous warm light on the rock formations and aspens. I was a happy guy as I drove back into Crested Butte for supper and some serious hot tub time.

I was up early Sunday morning, heading for my location to photograph the rising sun on the Castles and wanted to arrive early in anticipation of being elbow to elbow with other photographers. The sky was clear so I knew I'd have the morning light on the subject at sunrise. Imagine my surprise when I arrived and was the only photographer in sight. I had my choice of parking places and camera placement. The sun fired up the Castles right on time and I had 15 minutes of glorious shooting, frequently changing camera position and composition to get the subject completely covered. The light got harsh and I was done. Driving back to Crested Butte I decided to start back to Denver and stop in Buena Vista for a late breakfast. The drive home was uneventful and as I drove across South Park heading home I was able to relax and start to unwind, another successful photo trip concluded.

Read about my 2003 Lake Powell Vacation here

Read about my 2003 Estes Park Vacation here

Read about my 2004 Moab Vacation here

Read about my 2005 Arizona Vacation here

Read about my 2005 Crested Butte Vacation here