Pring Photography Blog

I recently created a book of my favorite scenic photographs from the past several years. It’s a personal project I have wanted to do for a long time for my family.  As I sorted through which images to include, I was reminded of how lucky I am to have traveled to these beautiful places. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of them.

My family and I love to explore national parks. I think America is blessed with so many amazing and diverse landscapes and we are wise to protect them through the national park system.

Glacier National Park in Montana will always be one of my favorite parks. We visit every year when we are in the area to see family. Each visit is a little different depending on the weather that day and the spring leading up to our arrival.

Yellowstone National Park is so unique with it’s multi-colored geysers bubbling up across the landscape. It’s like stepping onto another planet. I love taking in all the details of the vibrant colors and textures.

Mammoth Hot Springs in north Yellowstone is another beautiful natural phenomenon created by mineral deposits.

Carlsbad Caverns was my first introduction to caves. and now I won’t pass up an opportunity to explore one. I find the formations fascinating.

I enjoyed rediscovering Mount Rushmore as an adult. We took the time to walk the path and see the monument closer and learn more about the history of its creation. It really is an impressive work of art and engineering.

I was thrilled to go on the photography tour of Antelope Canyon in Arizona. The swirls of orange rock are perfectly illuminated for a brief time when the sun is directly overhead of the slot canyon.

Bryce Canyon is one of those places that I could enjoy looking at for hours. The bright orange of the hoodoos against the blue Utah sky is spectacular. It’s easy to see why the early natives thought their ancestors turned to stone when they died because so many of the formations resemble humans and animals.

Capturing the  vastness of the Grand Canyon in a photograph is a challenge. I liked how the sweeping clouds help convey how this canyon goes on and on for miles.

Grand Teton National Park is truly a gem with it’s rugged mountains and pristine lakes.

Mesa Verde is another marvel. I found it interesting to learn about the ingenuity of these ancient people in building their homes on the protected cliffs, farming above them and disposing of waste below them.

I’ve also been fortunate enough to explore a few Canadian National Parks including Banff and Waterton. The mountains are even more impressive there and the limestone laden water is an incredible emerald green.

If you have the opportunity, I encourage you to hop in the car or rent an RV to explore the beautiful landscapes of America. It’s awe inspiring, educational and sure to revitalize your spirit.

This past Labor Day weekend, we packed the RV and headed to the south west part of Colorado to check out the Silver Thread Scenic Byway through Lake City and Creede, Colorado. The weather was great and the scenery was beautiful. The aspen leaves were just starting to change. In a week or two this area will be a spectacular place to view the aspen in their full glory.

Our trip started out with the treat of seeing bighorn sheep along the highway.

We camped at Lake San Cristabol just outside of the center of Lake City. It’s a quiet, pristine lake that offers a beautiful place to enjoy fishing by day and star gazing by night.  According to the information placard, “About 850 years ago thousands of tons of water-saturated earthen material broke away from Mesa Seco and slid nearly four miles into the valley below. The Slumgullian Earthflow dammed the Lake Fork of the Gunnison River and formed Lake San Cristobal – the second largest natural lake in  Colorado.”

“About 350 years ago another portion of Mesa Seco began to slowly ooze down the hillside. Riding above the older slide, this flow covered about 2.5 miles of the older flow. Geologists estimate that it still moves downhill approximately twenty feet per year.”

Lake San Cristobal

Mesa Seco

This broken dam is part of an old mine outside of Lake City.

We enjoyed the scenic drive from Lake City to Creede, but realized that there is so much more of this area that is not accessible by RV. We plan to return to the area and rent a jeep at one of the many places in town that offers them to travelers wanting to explore the more rugged areas.

We do recommend checking out the small town of Lake City and enjoying a generous homemade ice cream cone at the Soda Fountain.

San Juan Mountains with Uncompaghre Peak (14,309 feet)

The highlight of the trip for me was stopping at North Clear Creek Falls just off SH 149 near the summit of Sprint Creek Pass. It was easy to see why this is the most photographed waterfall in Colorado.

We arrived in downtown Creede just as the annual Salsa Fest was wrapping up. Every shop and restaurant in town competes to win the honor of having the best salsa. Visitors can buy tickets to taste and vote on their favorites.

Creede is a charming old mining town set at the foot of towering cliffs. The town won the 2010 Governor’s Award as the Best Arts Town in Colorado. I enjoyed shopping in the artsy clothing and jewelry stores. The people were very friendly and the prices were surprisingly affordable.

We hiked up the road to check out the old mining structures just outside of downtown.

On our way home, my husband saw a lynx walking along the ditch by the highway. Of course, we turned around to take  a closer look. What a thrill! 

You can step back to 1863 in an instant when you visit Virginia City, Montana (about 90 miles from Yellowstone National Park). It’s an amazingly well preserved Victorian gold rush town that once was the capitol of the territory. I had read about the town in a book called Amazing Places to Take Your Kids. It was a short detour on our way to northwest Montana, so we decided to check it out.

I loved photographing the shops that were set up with great detail to portray the bygone era. This image shows the general store in Virginia City.

As we strolled the main street, we stopped to get some homemade ice cream (huckleberry, or course, since we were in MT) and some fantastic freshly made taffy.

After an hour or so, we finished our exploring and hopped back in the RV. Much to my delight, we hit upon Nevada City just a few miles down the road. Nevada City was also one of the largest mining camps in MT during the gold rush. It now houses over 90 historic buildings and several old trains, some of which were brought from other areas around Montana.  There’s a small fee to tour the museum, but it is well worth it.

TrainsWagon

School HouseLaundry in China TownSaddlery

Market in China Town

Wheels by the Jail

My favorite part of Nevada City, was definitely the Music Hall. There’s no admission to enter, however,  you may want to bring some spare change to make the nickelodeons work. According to the www.goldwest.visitmt.com website, “The Music Hall now contains perhaps the world’s largest collection of band organs and music machines on public display, including possibly the largest band organ in the world.”

Also, don’t miss the Sedman House, a Victorian house with fully furnished rooms.

The area is not only educational for kids and adults, it’s a whole lot of fun for a photographer!

This summer my family and I discovered an enchanted land where odd characters and fantastical creatures seemed to emerge from the rocks surrounding us. It’s a little known place in the middle of nowhere called Fantasy  Canyon. We were lucky enough to find out about this treasure  from someone’s travel blog before we took our trip to Utah. We had such a great time that I want to share it with you as well. Our primary destination for this trip was Dinosaur National Monument and Flaming Gorge Reservoir. Fantasy Canyon made for a short side trip. It’s just outside of Vernal Utah in the middle of the oil and gas fields. If you stop by the Vernal Visitor Center, they will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Laughing Man

When I see things like this in nature, it reminds me that God has a sense of humor. There’s no uniformity to how the rocks are shaped in this canyon. In some areas, the rocks are thin and flat and in others you can find perfect circles in the center of inches thick rock. Of course, an open mind and imagination help make the experience more enjoyable. As does having someone to share your insights with. My eleven year old daughter especially enjoyed finding animal figures in the rocks.

Gargoyle

Several Boy Scout troops created the paths within the canyon and labeled a few of the formations to help get your creative juices flowing. My favorites were the laughing man above and the gargoyle.

Mice at a tea party

The canyon itself is only about an acre in size. But, we found hours of enjoyment exploring the nooks and crannies and of course taking a bunch of photos.

Puzzle Pieces                                                                                                 Dogs

Bulldog                                                     Acrobat

Dr. Seuss Character                                                                                                                 Camel