Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Golden Aspen & Blue Sky

This hasn't been a good year for aspen, as the incredibly hot, dry fall has stressed the trees, and many of them are dropping their leaves while still green. But I was able to find one good stand after hiking up into a valley a little over 10,000 feet (3,000 m) in elevation on the back of Pikes Peak, in an area known as Horsethief Park (because it's where horse thieves used to hide).
I'll post more aspen photos in a couple of days. For more sky-themed photos, visit Skywatch Friday.
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34 comments:

  1. magiceyeSeptember 22, 2010 at 6:52 PM

    wow this is brilliant!!

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  2. Sylvia KSeptember 22, 2010 at 8:19 PM

    Such breathtaking colors and a superb capture, Al, as always! Love the gold against such vivid blue! Have a great evening and a beautiful tomorrow!

    Sylvia

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  3. ~CherylSeptember 22, 2010 at 9:14 PM

    I've always loved aspens. This stand is really brilliant! Looking forward to seeing more.

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  4. LindaSeptember 22, 2010 at 11:07 PM

    Lovely - one of the sights I long to see for real one day.

    I think that's touchingly naive about the horsethieves - always heading for the same place and people knowing exactly where they'd be.

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  5. GaelynSeptember 22, 2010 at 11:59 PM

    Very fall. Our Aspen are going gold slowly, but we did have some green fall a few weeks ago.

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  6. giorno26 ¸¸.•*¨*•.September 23, 2010 at 12:31 AM

    Hi Al :)
    questa foto è magnifica nel contrasto brillante dei colori:
    oro contro bleu !
    L'autunno è una stagione che amo molto !
    Buona giornata.

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  7. SciaradaSeptember 23, 2010 at 2:36 AM

    Buongiorno Al, the warm colors of autumn with the vivid blue sky typical of summer, give me a great emotion!
    Magnificent shot!

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  8. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2010 at 5:18 AM

    A long, white winter and lots of rain later has change the natural calendar here in Denmark this year!

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  9. KaoriSeptember 23, 2010 at 8:11 AM

    Fabulous colors! Both the sky and leaves! I'd love to see all the colored leaves scattered on the ground, too ;D

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  10. EG CameraGirlSeptember 23, 2010 at 12:32 PM

    The trees are scrumptious with the blue sky as a backdrop!

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  11. clairzSeptember 23, 2010 at 12:33 PM

    Gorgeous photo, the contrast is wonderful. Thank you for taking the hike!

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  12. Don WoodSeptember 23, 2010 at 12:39 PM

    wow that sky is sooo sooo blue and the trees such a contrast XXX Don

    My blog Promote Thanet

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  13. AnneSeptember 23, 2010 at 12:44 PM

    Much more beautiful than all the gold int this world, its`s shining :-) Just lovt it!

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  14. LauraSeptember 23, 2010 at 12:59 PM

    The color is fantastic!!! I love the contrast of the gold against the royal blue! Wow!

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  15. SteffiSeptember 23, 2010 at 1:30 PM

    Wow...stunning photo!Perfect for SWF!

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  16. GunnarSeptember 23, 2010 at 1:31 PM

    Nice autumn colors.

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  17. KcalpeshSeptember 23, 2010 at 1:34 PM

    Wonderful contrast of colors! Amazing shot!!


    Pixellicious Photos

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  18. RuneSeptember 23, 2010 at 1:37 PM

    Beautiful picture with nice colors!

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  19. ViolaSeptember 23, 2010 at 1:42 PM

    Oh my.. so exciting! I would like to go up there, in the Horsethief Park, up on the Pikes Peak!! =) And 3.000 m above sea!! And I can tell you, you caught the Autum leaves pretty well!! ;)

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  20. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2010 at 1:58 PM

    Whoa! What a sky, especially in contrast to those golden leaves! Incredible

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  21. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2010 at 2:40 PM

    Oh man, you are way ahead of everybody. You already are enjoying the colors of Autumn on the first day!

    Can't wait for the coming posts.

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  22. edenSeptember 23, 2010 at 2:47 PM

    Stunning photo. Love the colours.

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  23. EaglesbrotherSeptember 23, 2010 at 2:59 PM

    Beautiful Aspen Trees with the deep Blue sky as a background..picture perfect.

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  24. AndreaSeptember 23, 2010 at 2:59 PM

    I've always loved the Aspen - a beautiful tree and these pics are so nice with the blue contrast. Makes me ready for fall!

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  25. Trish ~ ♥ ~September 23, 2010 at 4:35 PM

    we've had the same problem here, hot, dry summer and many of trees were and still are dropping leaves.

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  26. Iowa Gardening WomanSeptember 23, 2010 at 5:48 PM

    The yellow against the blue, beautiful!

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  27. geminisSeptember 23, 2010 at 5:50 PM

    Despite not having a good year for the alamo, captured with this lens is beautiful.
    kiss

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  28. AlSeptember 23, 2010 at 7:13 PM

    The bright color of the aspen complimented well with the sky. Very nice!

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  29. HildaSeptember 24, 2010 at 3:02 AM

    What a gorgeous color! Love how the yellow and blue complement each other so well!

    I'm sorry to hear about your unusually hot autumn though. That sounds quite stressful to the plants.

    Have a wonderful weekend, Al!

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  30. beckySeptember 24, 2010 at 6:23 AM

    Hi Al,
    I came over to visit from "The Zees Go West." You have some lovely photography here!! Your Aspen are in full color (ours have just started to change.) I'm curious about your blog format, I have the basic black format like you, but I can't put in such large photos. Can you share your secret?
    :)

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  31. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2010 at 7:15 AM

    Wow - what golden trees! Superb.

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  32. CarolSeptember 24, 2010 at 12:56 PM

    Great photo! The aspens are gorgeous! We are going to CO in two weeks and I wish they would hold out for me....

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  33. JanetSeptember 24, 2010 at 1:32 PM

    Even when it's dry, these are beautiful.

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  34. KirigalpoththaSeptember 27, 2010 at 10:30 PM

    Very pretty!

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