Impression Evergreen

The Nebraska Sandhills Flowing through the southern Sandhills of western Nebraska, an irrigation canal offers some relief from the sweltering, summer heat. A ditch road that runs alongside the waterway is the perfect path for a morning hike. Rain from the night before creates a thick haze that burns off into white clouds as the day begins. Even though filtered light glazes the landscape with gold, the pastures seem greener than normal this year. A bunch of shaggy sheep are vocal inhabitants while swallows skim across the water’s smooth surface. Sometimes I’ll see wary jackrabbits or a white-tailed deer but in this big sky county, cattle are king. They are voracious grazers but when confronted by peculiar visitors, it piques their interest. Cows and calves come running in order to get a closer look at the unexpected newcomers. The deep, blue water is a natural barrier between us and the domestic beasts so the situation remains completely harmless. As we continue on our prai

"Last Dollar Road" Colored Pencil It's a wet spring day in southwestern Colorado. Along a rough edge of the San Juans, sculpted spires are an astonishing work of art. Standing in an ochre meadow, a grove of gray aspen is topped with a canopy of fresh green while olive-colored hills rise into a seamless transition with the silver mountains. Hayden is the prominent centerpiece of this fine bouquet of pretty peaks. Slightly offset, the festive summit to the right is aptly named North Pole. This open passage over the magnificent mesa described here will lead the lucky driver on an epic adventure. To find this place, come down out of the Black Canyon, head south from Montrose along the Uncomphagre Plateau, take a right at Ridgeway and you'll discover the Dallas Divide. Up top there's a dirt path that's an obscure shortcut to the town of Telluride. Snaking through the Sneffels Range, the scenic side-trip may slow your car down but the divine drive will ra

Elk Meadow and Bergen Peak Painters Pause trail is a gravel path descending southward into a confluence with a watery gulch flowing out of Bergen Peak. The alluring mountain is an irresistible backdrop for the creatively inspired. With brushes and easel in tow, it's a place where artists linger. It's a cold morning during a solitary sojourn through Noble and Elk meadows. The aspen are mere skeletons against the drab pine. Long, violet shadows rippling across the yellow field are an interesting note during an ordinary sunrise. The wilderness is just now coming back to life. Elk have lost their winter coats and graze peacefully. Bluebirds are back but prefer to keep their distance. The familiar tune of the meadowlark is heard although the vocalist cannot be seen. A relentless wind and everlasting light foretell a seasonal change. After a long, monochrome winter, patience is a virtue. Anxiously awaiting those shades of green, spring must be close. Not so fast my friend,

Land of the Dead Tree Off we went On an ordinary hike Heard the woeful coo of a mourning dove. High on the ridge The sound resonated in our hearts And raised us up nine thousand feet above. To the Land of the Dead Tree Our journey began at the Old Cabin Crossing, a neglected remnant of days gone by. We continued on a lonely path through mysterious Dark Forest all the way up to Windy Saddle. From there we traversed prickly Cactus Pass and climbed onto Flattop Rocks. Racing daybreak, we dashed under Sunshine Arch into a high mountain meadow. There it was... The Land of the Dead Tree. Just in time, golden grasses were flickering in the morning light. Blue Volcanoes appeared hazily in the east and Bergen Peak was a stoic sentinel to the south. The Western White Mountains of the Great Divide were a spectacle. We soaked in the sun but on the shortest day of the year, rays began to vanish. As the afternoon faded into evening, we had to say goodbye. Because as you