Colorado: Flat Top Mountain

J, my mom and brother, and I drove up to Estes Park today. We drove through the canyon where the St. Vrain creek flooded last September (one of the canyons that were devastated by the September floods). The newly constructed road was evidence of the rebuilding, but we also saw many collapsed homes. The riverbed itself had rocks the size of small cars and huge tree trunks, evidence of the powerful force of the floodwaters.

Estes Park is the town at the base of Rocky Mountain National Park. My mom lived in Estes Park when she was a teenager. My grandfather and grandmother ran a restaurant there. The Hupp Hotel building, where the restaurant was, is now a historic landmark. And the log cabin that they lived in behind the building is also still there. It was really fun to her her talk about her life then. I was a little surprised when she told me that it was crowded during the summer just as much as it was today.

After having a late lunch in Estes Park, we drove up Milner Pass, also known as Trail Ridge Road. The summit is a little over 12,000 feet. Just slightly down from the summit, at 11,800 feet, is a gift shop and cafe, where we sat and enjoyed the view while catching our breath. It was so enjoyable to watch the elk, the ptarmigan, martens and even a few pica. We then drove back down towards Estes Park.

This is Flat Top Mountain, elevation 12,324 feet (3756 m) taken from "Squirrel Rock". Of the almost 100 peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park, Flat Top is one of lowest. Long's Peak is the highest at 14,255 feet, and is clearly visible from the Denver-Boulder area.

I took three bracketed shots, then merged them. I wanted the detail of the pine tree to the side as well as the highlights of the snow and clouds, so I merged them using HDR Efex. I added a little contrast and desaturated the blues. I then overlayed a black and white version over the color version for added contrast and detail, then reduced the opacity.

While I certainly did not think this was the best of the photos I took, I did not have a reasonably decent shot of Flat Top Mountain in my portfolio.

Hope you are all have a wonderful weekend!