I went searching for rocks, and even in the dark, after following the winding roads through Jarre Canyon and Pine Creek, I found too many for one edition of this little ol’ newsletter. But let’s get started!
Two Forks, the confluence of the South Platte River, taken with a DJI Mini 3 Pro, 5 August 2025.
The sky was overcast, but the drive was still slow due to the local speed limits. This is not a multilane highway. In fact, there’s barely width for even one vehicle in places! The morning sun rose behind the foothills, but I had plenty of time before the sun would shine on the canyons and valleys along the river.
The “blue” mountains of the Front Range might even rival Tennessee or Calabria!
I was alone for hours, despite the potential for anglers making good on their fish tales? When I did see long commercial trucks on those narrow, winding, roads, I was glad that I was the only one there, south of the confluence of Two Forks.
Pine Creek and Noddle Heads on the left, with Long Scraggy Peak to the right of the South Fork.
I first stopped at the confluence of Pine Creek and the South Fork, and I really at home with places having names like “Noddle Heads,” and “Long Scraggy Peak.”
Long Scraggy Peak glows in between shadowy clouds and shaded streams.
I’m so grateful I can share the images from that magical trip, as the morning was just getting started. Sadly, while wildfires were raging to the west, there was (and still is) a great deal of smoke in the area. A friend shared a photo of Grand Lake where the AQI was over 200, and it was so dark the smoke almost blotted out the sun.
Smoke was distant from the Platte Canyon, but still having an impact.
The areas south of the Platte have seen drought conditions, but the growth hadn’t slowed in this area. I had set out to visit some areas that I hadn’t seen in years, as well as slow down to see what else I could find.
The sunrise illuminates one of the goals of the journey: rocks in the distance.
Traveling solo through the canyon paid off, as I passed a number of “points of interest” in the past where I could now find a parking space (as all of them were available)!
Raleigh Peak in the background, in the shadow of smoky clouds.
Thanks to the drones, I could get use telephoto lenses to see rocks in the distance. But they were also in perfect position to get up close to the rocks in the river.
Massive rock pile in the South Fork.
The rock piles seem to go on, and only the drones can get high enough to see the big picture while also getting to hover over the river. The views of both high and low, or a well-rounded perspective, make adventures like this seem to have so many photogenic spaces.
The rocks were rounded by time and erosion; photo taken with a DJI Mavic 3.
As there were no anglers or hikers in the area, I was able to fly much closer than I had allowed myself when there are other people in the area. I don’t think someone fly-fishing would appreciate the buzz of a low-flying drone that might also scare off or put down any trout in the area!
“Self-portrait”
In addition, the drones can fly pre-programmed patterns that I can turn into panoramas like the one above as well as below. When I reached Two Forks, after the sun had risen and shone on the Platte River, there was also my first contact with commercial vehicles and other visitors. There were people in the campgrounds, and of course, the private property to the north and east. but for a while, I was in my own little world.
I got to slow down and take a break while out traveling—this old man was grateful!
And if you think we’ve seen rocks, well get ready to rock some more in part two!
