More slides from the vault, and then, some negatives. I’m too busy working on my New Year’s resolutions to say anything interesting. If I don’t make these resolutions, the dog will have to, and I don’t think we want that.
Boreas Pass
BLM public lands, north of Kremmling, Co. There are thousands of mats of Penstemon caespitosus, phlox, astragalus, etc.
surprise visitors on the Guanella Pass Road
Pictures of the old barn, etc., at Perennial Favorites in Rye, Co. (Their website here.) Lots of things struck Cindy’s eye, and sometimes I would have to stand around while she took pictures. She liked me right away (and vice versa), so obviously she had exquisite taste.
I think this structure has since collapsed. Some of the images here are reversed; maybe there’s a tool for that in Photoshop, but that means looking at the instructions. I’ll save that part for later.
Then I scanned some negatives. It takes a little longer than scanning slides, and the holder deals (technical term) on the negative platen could be easily broken by someone like me, so I tried to be careful. These were taken in 1982, the year we met (met in May, married in September, it was love at first sight); not sure where some of these were taken, except in the mountains, somewhere. The passes might be Cottonwood Pass, or Tincup Pass. I haven’t been to that part of Colorado since then.
Near the roadbed leading to the Alpine Tunnel
eastern entrance to the Alpine Tunnel. the tracks are still visible inside the tunnel. Mark Twain rode the train, I think narrow gauge, through the tunnel; on the west side the grade was so steep that the locomotive had to set it brakes, and even then raced down the mountainside at full speed.
looking east from the entrance to the Alpine Tunnel
I think this is the start of the road to Williams Pass, 11766 ft, which is usually impassable even with four wheel drive.
near the town of Hancock
St. Elmo
Redstone
Redstone, up the road from St. Elmo, heading toward Tincup Pass.
a gray jay, or camp robber.
the miserable gardener 
For some reason these images put me in mind of “Tomboy Bride” by Harriet Fish, who was a miner’s wife in this area back in the early 1900s. Cindy’s pictures are just wonderful. Santa knew what he was doing when he got you that scanner!
I understand that a lot of this has been spoiled in the last 20 years. Bulldozed, vandalized, whatever.
What state is this in? It reminds me of the gold mining ghost towns of SD.
State of decay….
No, seriously, Colorado. West of Buena Vista.
Still in awe of this scanner dohicky (also a technical term) and your ability to use it so beautifully. (In cyber space, no one can hear you swear.) I have a fondness for ghost town images & these are some kind of wonderful! Thanks.
No, thank you.
The operation of this machine is highly technical.
I did not have to look at the instructions for scanning negatives (whew), but I did have to unwrap the plastic from the platen before I put it on the scanner bed. Unwrapping the plastic was the hardest part.
I need to get to a scannin’, too, once I get my digital pics in better order. Those scenes, especially the rushing creeks and the conifers, are nice. I wish Abq garden people would go there and visit, instead of failing at such things here in the desert. I can almost smell the perfume of the high mountains and feel a cool rain drop or two looking at your pics.
They mostly fail here too, unless lots of extra water is applied, though conifers do okay. (There are better choices than blue spruce, to be sure.)
More misty scenes today.