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Colorado Rockies Photography Tour . .
. September |
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September 23rd to October 4th, 2021
11 nights/12 inclusive days | Maximum of 8 participants, and a minimum of 3 participants
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Photography Tour Overview: Our exploration
America's 'roof top' will bring diverse photo
subjects such as wildlife, ghost towns, waterfalls,
spectacular stands of colorful Aspen trees, sand
dunes, red rock, and breathtaking mountain
landscapes etcetera. Colorado is a name that is up
there with the best of them when it comes to
destinations that Americans would most like to
visit. The difference is that Colorado will linger
on the palette many times longer than most places
with similar terrain.
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Our itinerary . . .
But first things first! We suggest that you set your camera's clock to the local time, as your images will then synchronize with the times in our included photo tour
field notes.
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Days 1, 2 + 3 | Rocky Mountain
National Park
Our small group will gather late morning, and we'll
kick things off with the included lunch plus a
digital presentation of images you can expect to
capture during this photo tour. Then away via select
photo stops to Estes Park on the doorstep of Rocky
Mountain National Park which is dominated by 14,256’
Long’s Peak.
On days 2 and 3 our park highlights will include
trips up and down the Trail Ridge Road, and up the
Old Fall River Road with both collectively providing
towering mountain peaks, rivers, lakes, waterfalls,
beaver ponds, lava cliffs, and wildlife hopefully including Elk, Coyote,
Bighorn Sheep, semi-tame Ravens and
more. We'll also be photographing in the Glacier
Basin area.
Estes Park, 3 nights
Day 4 | Colorado Mountain Passes and
Old Towns to Aspen
More dawn light photography prior to leaving the
Rocky Mountain National Park area today, we’ll
return south on the opposite side of the continental
divide, and via Interstate 70 to start our zigzag of
mountain passes with Guanella Pass. Mt. Evans will
appear in the east as we move on to Boreas Pass, a
former railroad bed on which Elephants used to push
circus trains to Breckenridge on the northeastern
slope. Via Leadville with its ghost and modern town
mix, to turn west under Colorado’s highest peak,
Mount Elbert at 14,433’. Over Independence pass
shooting as we go as the late light warms up, and
onto Aspen for our 1 night stay.
Aspen, 1 night
Day 5 | Crystal Mill, McClure Pass,
Kebler Pass and Crested Butte
We’ll rise early for the first light on the Maroon
Bells . . . a Colorado classic with mountain peaks,
lake, and fabulously colored Aspen groves. Marmot
and Mule Deer are easy to shoot here, and we’ll
likely see Moose. After breakfast we’ll head for the
Ashcroft ghost towns, and then we’ll hit the road
for Marble via the brick kilns of Redstone. Marble
provided the marble for the Lincoln Memorial, and
from here we'll take a detour over rugged terrain in
4WD jeeps for the classic Crystal Mill shot on the
Crystal River. Via McClure Pass and onto Kebler Pass
where shoot the largest stand of in-color Aspen
trees you'll ever lay eyes on. We'll photograph
around Crested Butte both this evening and early on
day 6.
Crested Butte, 1 night
Days 6 + 7 | Crested Butte, Dallas
Divide and the Telluride region
First light around Gothic, and following breakfast
we'll photo-explore Washington Gulch prior to
departing in the direction of Telluride. Shots of
Blue Mesa reservoir in the Curecanti national
recreation area as we make our way to some superb
photography on the Dallas Divide. Things start with
swathes of fall color in front of the San Juan
Mountains topped by Mt. Sneffels at 14,150’, and
continue with rustic zigzag fences, Mule Deer
sightings and more great scenery on a back road
loaded with shots that always slow our descent into
Telluride. Evening light near Telluride, with Mt.
Wilson and old barns being the main attractions.
On day 7 we’ll make early and late runs to the Last
Dollar Road, which will provide classics topped by
distant Mt. Wilson. A side trip southwards will also
be a feature while we are in the Telluride area,
plus much more.
Telluride, 2 nights
Day 8 | Dallas Divide, Ouray, Million
Dollar Highway and Silverton
First light on 14,017’ Mt. Wilson to start our day,
then following breakfast we’ll turn towards
Silverton, and once again we'll progress slowly over
the Dallas Divide with many photo-stops scheduled.
Ouray is next for street scenes, and the 'roof-top'
view plus a detour to nearby Box Canyon falls. We’ll
then continue south and traverse the 'Million Dollar
Highway’ with photography stops on Red Mountain
Pass. On to the old mining community of Silverton
for the night. Silverton hasn’t changed a whole lot
since those gold-mining heydays of the late 1800’s,
and the flavor of the old west is guaranteed.
Silverton, 1 night
Day 9 | Silverton to Alamosa
Shots of Silverton and surrounding peaks bathed in
the early light, and following breakfast we'll
explore Silverton . . . and most likely bump into
some ‘time travelers! At midday we’ll rendezvous
with the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
locomotive for a series of pictures prior to
continuing south on the ‘Million Dollar Highway’ and
turning east for Alamosa at Durango. Chimney Rock,
and Wolf Creek Pass etcetera will be featured as we
make our way to Alamosa to position ourselves for an
early morning run to the Great Sand Dunes National
Park.
Alamosa, 1 night
Day 10 | Great Sand Dunes National
Park and Royal Gorge
On day 10 we’ll take an early breakfast, check-out,
and make our way to the Great Sand Dunes National
Park for the early light on this ‘ocean’ of sand.
Covering 55 square miles, some of the dunes rise to
700 feet, and a number of our pictures will most
likely feature the backdrop of the Sangre de Cristo
mountain range. Moving north via Poncha Pass and
Salida, we’ll spend some time shooting rafters and
kayakers in spectacular rapids on the Arkansas River
if river levels are still high enough. On to Royal
Gorge to shoot the highest suspension bridge in the
world at 1,053’ above the Arkansas River. Mule Deer
are easy to photograph here. On to Manitou Springs
for the night.
Manitou Springs, 1 night
Day 11 | Garden of the Gods and Pikes
Peak
Early light on day 11 will bring out the best in the
Garden of the Gods. After breakfast and hotel
check-out we’ll head for the top of Pikes Peak at
14,110’. The mountain is where one Katherine Lee
Bates penned those patriotic and inspiring words, “O
beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of
grain. For purple mountain majesties above the
fruited plain”. We’ll then head to our last hotel
via a variety of photo stops. The included dinner on
the last night of our photography tour will feature
an 'It's You!' presentation of clients in action by
John.
Near the Denver airport, 1 night
Day 12 | Departure day
As there isn't any photography scheduled for the day
of departure, your flight home can be arranged for
any time today. |
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Photo Tour Photographer/Leader: John
Baker, Travel Images Photography Tours
The preceding itinerary is a copyrighted work by John Baker
Photographer LLC, and Travel Images Photography Tours
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Enhancing Your Photography Skills: Describing the assistance you'll receive on one of our photography tours takes more than a few words, so for greater detail please go
here.
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Exertion level: This photography
tour is classified as 'mildly strenuous' to 'moderately
strenuous' due to the high elevations, especially
in Rocky Mountain National Park
There are no strenuous hikes involved, but at
higher elevations even a mildly strenuous walk can
leave you short of breathe if not taking your time
Soft sand in sand dunes can be hard going,
but again, just take your time. For capturing
dune images, you can be at the top of the
closest dune in 8 to 15 minutes
In every other respect this photography tour is considered non-strenuous to mildly strenuous |
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Do you need a Visa for travel to the United
States?
Travelers from all countries can do a quick check
of visa requirements
here or
here
Our international clients may need to contact the
embassy of their intended destination in their own
country for a visa. Go
here or
here |
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Photography Tour Cost, the Fine Details and Enrollment
Trip Cost: $5,170 USD per person not including
airfare. A 5% discount is applied to all double occupancies.
A single room supplement is required for single occupancy
Single Supplement: 14% of the base cost of the
trip
The
deposit for this photography tour is $300. Pay a deposit, or your full trip
balance
here
Included in the Trip Cost: The following items
are included in the trip cost . . .
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Photography
instruction throughout the trip by John
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All accommodations with private facilities [en-suite]
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All breakfasts
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Lunch on day
one of the trip
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Dinner on
the last night of the trip
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On-vehicle
snacks and bottled water
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All ground
transportation
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Airport pick-up
on day 1, and drop-off on departure day. Arrival
prior to day 1 is not included
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Entrance fees
for sites and activities listed below under ‘Admissions
Included’
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Following
the trip, field notes describing the time, place
and subject of each photo stop, and a disc containing images of clients 'in action' on the trip
Not Included in the Trip Cost: The costs for
these items are the responsibility of each participant
. . .
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Airfare
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Travel costs
between your home and the gateway airport and return
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Any transportation
or travel costs incurred prior to or after the tour’s
inclusive dates
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Pre-tour and/or
post-tour accommodation
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Lunches and
dinners except for lunch on day one of the trip,
and dinner on the last night of the trip
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Alcoholic
beverages
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Entrance fees
or costs related to optional sites or activities
not included in the itinerary
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Baggage fees
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Medical expenses
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Personal items
such as the hotel mini-bar, laundry etcetera
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Incidental
charges incurred at our accommodations such as movie
rentals, internet and phone
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Travel insurance
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Passport or
visa expenses
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Airport departure taxes, if applicable
Admissions Included in the Trip Cost:
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Admission
to Rocky Mountain NP
is included in our Commercial Organization, Commercial
Tour Fees, and/or a Commercial Use Authorization
[CUA] permit
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Also included
is 4WD transport to the Crystal Mill near Marble
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All other possible rides, admissions or excursions are optional and not included
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8 places are available at this time
Indicates that we have sufficient enrollments and the trip is a 'go'