Fulll Moonlight over the Great Sand Dunes, Colorado, September 29, 2023

 After Bob attended the Natural Arch and Bridge Society's Fall Arch Rally at the Colorado National Monument in late September 2023, he decided to visit a number of destinations in Colorado, since he had only visited the state once before.

One of the places he wanted to visit was the Great Sand Dunes National Park in the eastern part of the state. To his surprise, the park allowed backpackers to spend the night out in the dunes. Surprising because there's no water source out there. It happened to be the night of the full moon when Bob made a point of hiking out into the dunes. He wanted to see the dunes lit up by the full moonlight. This photo is one of many he took during his overnight backpacking trip. Notice the stars in the sky as well as two tents of other backpackers in this image.

This park has the tallest sand dunes in North America, the tallest being 750 feet. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains are in the background.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Finger Arch, aka West Rim Arch, McInnis Canyons Recreation Area, Colorado

 One of the hikes Bob went on with the Natural Arch and Bridge Society's 2023 Fall Arch Rally was to the above arch named Finger Arch.  It is also known as West Rim Arch. The first photo was shot with a Canon EOS 6D Mark II, while the second photo was shot with a GoPro 8 Black with its wider angle view.

 Getting to and from Finger Arch was less than a three mile round trip hike that involved some bushwhacking and scrambling up and down steep slopes.  It is a mature, pothole type arch eroded into Entrada Sandstone and has a span of 50 feet and the opening is 30 feet wide.  It gets the name West Rim Arch, because it's one of several arches in Rattlesnake Canyon, but is on the western edge of the canyon while many of the other arches are on the east.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Collared Lizard, Flume Canyon, McInnis Canyon National Conservation Areal, Colorado

 This little guy is a collared lizard.  Bob encountered it in Flume Canyon in the McInnis Canyon National Conservation Area, Colorado while hiking out from his Arch Rally hike to see Picture Window Arch and The Spectacles double arch.

The male of the collared lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) is brightly colored often with greens and yellows.  The coloration of the female is more subdued, but they both have the dark band around their necks that gives the species its name. They are a common species in rocky and arid regions

This image is heavily cropped from the original photo due to Bob not having a long telephoto lens with him during this hike.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Painted Wall, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Colorado

 After attending the Fall 2023 Arch Rally at Colorado National Monument with the Natural Arch and Bridge Society, Bob headed to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park.  This impressive cliff is called the Painted Wall and Bob photographed at late morning.  This 2250 foot cliff is one of the tallest cliffs in Colorado. The lighter colored streaks through the cliffs are a mineral called pegmatite that intruded into the prevalent gneiss and schist formations.

The Gunnison River is visible at the canyon bottom.  It has one of the steepest descents of any river system, which contributed to its carving such a deep and narrow canyon.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.

Centennial Arch, aka, East Rim Arch, Rattlesnake Canyon, McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Colorado

 During the Natural Arch and Bridge Society's Fall 2023 Arch Rally, Bob got to hike into Rattlesnake Canyon in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area, Colorado.  One of several impressive arches was this one called Centennial Arch, but is also know as East Rim Arch, but is also known as Akiti Arch.

Accordig to Robert Vreeland, this is an old pothole-type arch with a span of 40 feet, a height of 120, a thickness of 8 feet, and a width of 10 feet.

Reaching this arch took a long drive over rough 4WD roads.  The hike to it was only about a mile and a half, but the hosts of this hike had the group downclimb through the first arch we came to using a nylon webbing handline, which they had to climb back up through at the end of the hike.  Our main host wanted this to be an afternoon hike, so that the lighting was better for taking photos of the arches.

Remember, it's not just a picture, it's a story.