Chasing the Clouds Away

On my way home from near Berthoud Falls, I almost ran into a cloud bank but it was blocked by Green Mountain. When writing this little essay, it was almost blocked, too!

From above the high plains of Metropolitan Denver, while descending along the interstate highway, I-70, the main east-west thoroughfare through the Foothills of the Front Range of the Rocky Mountains, I looked down upon clouds all the way to the horizon. I had just captured the colors of the sunrise as best as I could from below Berthoud Pass and was on my way home.

Sunshine over a cloudbank east of Hutchinson Park in Lakewood, Colorado.

Or, so I thought! As I descended Mount Vernon Creek on the approach to Golden and Morrison, I saw that the clouds were blocked by Green Mountain. My drive up towards Berthoud Pass was slowed and the duration drawn out by night-time construction that had reduced the number of lanes to one. I was able to eventually get past the construction but I was still far from my destination when the sun rose.

Earlier, sunrise over Empire, Colorado’s hills, taken by a DJI Mavic 3, 17 July 2025.

I stopped at “Coor’s Falls” where West Clear Creek meanders through eroded granite under a glacier-carved valley. Georgetown and Silver Plume, to the south, are future destinations for photography, having been a consistent source of recreation in the past. Now, as I write this between repeating interruptions, I hope I can continue this essay and publish it to share with you this adventure!

The view west from above West Clear Creek, west of Empire.

While I still have access to this newsletter and the surrounding environment, I’ll continue to share my adventures! The morning light allowed me to capture the soft waters using long camera exposures made possible by both hardware and software image stabilization processes. I truly love creating images that match my imagination.

View looking down at West Clear Creek from about 390’ (120m) above the ground.

Sometimes, the Colorado HIGH SKY turns its lens back towards terra firma, especially when running water is involved! And, on another note, when the connection to the servers seem spotty, I have to turn my attention to support requests, instead of writing!

From the same height as the previous, but using the drone’s telephoto lens to get closer.

I particularly like how the long exposures transformed the spray of running water into ethereal fans. Slowing the exposure down allows for more light to be captured before the sun has risen.

I sought a singular focus on the rocks in sharp relief to the gossamer fans of water.

It was windy enough to trigger a warning from the drone, but not hazardous enough to ground the flights. I was cautious enough to complete the principal photography and then wrap things up to start heading back home.

The mini-canyon cut through the rocks in the valley floor, and are accessible from the road.

However, just as I was loading up, the view from the drone captured my attention. While the connection to the server keeps dropping while I write this (and I’m not having that problem anywhere else), I am trying the online support—and, it’s not great, sorry to say.

It looks too colorful to leave yet!

The view from the valley floor was inspiring, and I had one more drone to fly. Even a little DJI Mini braved the winds to capture the views. I hope you can see this!

The sunlight reaches the valley while illuminating the high clouds from beneath.

I was nearly home when I took a short detour to Hutchinson Park, on the south side of Green Mountain and the sunny side of the cloudbank that had swept from north to south along the Foothills and out into the plains.

Darkness shrouds Lakewood and Denver, while the sun peeks over the clouds.

I was incredibly lucky and the timing was perfect to capture the cloudbank cascading to the south as it passed by the park, turned away by Green Mountain.

Where the light touches, the ground glowed in the morning sunlight.

Thanks for joining me in my adventures in this tiny world! And also for reading and viewing all that I had to share. Your support and encouragement makes this possible!

360° panorama in the tiny planet style of Hutchinson Park.