When one thinks of Colorado, one thinks of Mountains; but in reality, Colorado is actually a "High Desert". This desert brings to the table an infinite amount of diversity every time I visit it. This photo was shot on the Chico Basin Ranch - just 30 minutes East of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak. The ranch is comprised of 87,500 acres of land that is home to 5,000 head of cattle, deer, antelope and elk - least we not forget the coyotes! At 5,065 ft above sea level, life here is quite different compared to that in Colorado Springs (6,614 ft) and that at the top of Pikes Peak ( 14,111 ft).

This past Saturday I was riding Lola on the ranch and during my 6 hour ride in the saddle (14 miles) I decided to explore the Chico Basin Creek. See, on the Eastern plains of Colorado, well, it's mostly flat with a few rolling hills - but this creek has carved out its own masterpiece in this land. In some places the walls of the creek are 30ft tall - a spectacular feat in an area where you can see nearly 50 miles!

This tree, in its simplistic glory, sits alone watching the ducks play in a small pond that feeds water and yields life to the wildlife in this area. This tree has many stories to tell - those of the cold and those of the heat; cow and cowboys. This tree, several miles from human activity, has four-legged friends that come visit and take solace from the heat - a home to many a wary animal - a back scratcher to others. All evident by the padded down grass under its branches and the bare three trunk left exposed to the elements. But fear not, even though the leaves have parted for the winter, this tree will be alive and in full bloom come spring - once again proving never ending comfort to those will to stop by for a visit.

Typically when I ride I don’t take my big guns. I will either have a D80 with a 18-200vr or my Point-n-shoot Nikon P6000. This photo was shot with the P9000 at 34mm (1/250 sec @ f/8). This is a 13.5mp camera with a tiny sensor and I have just started to figure out how to control its limited dynamic range. I did shoot this from the back of my horse (moving as Lolo can never seem to stand still) but I have learned with this camera to use a fast shutter speed and it will usually give me very satisfactory results.

I hope in viewing this photo, you find as much peace and serenity in this tree as I did - this one Saturday on the Chico Basin Ranch.

When one thinks of Colorado, one thinks of Mountains; but in reality, Colorado is actually a "High Desert". This desert brings to the table an infinite amount of diversity every time I visit it. This photo was shot on the Chico Basin Ranch - just 30 minutes East of Colorado Springs and Pikes Peak. The ranch is comprised of 87,500 acres of land that is home to 5,000 head of cattle, deer, antelope and elk - least we not forget the coyotes! At 5,065 ft above sea level, life here is quite different compared to that in Colorado Springs (6,614 ft) and that at the top of Pikes Peak ( 14,111 ft).

This past Saturday I was riding Lola on the ranch and during my 6 hour ride in the saddle (14 miles) I decided to explore the Chico Basin Creek. See, on the Eastern plains of Colorado, well, it's mostly flat with a few rolling hills - but this creek has carved out its own masterpiece in this land. In some places the walls of the creek are 30ft tall - a spectacular feat in an area where you can see nearly 50 miles!

This tree, in its simplistic glory, sits alone watching the ducks play in a small pond that feeds water and yields life to the wildlife in this area. This tree has many stories to tell - those of the cold and those of the heat; cow and cowboys. This tree, several miles from human activity, has four-legged friends that come visit and take solace from the heat - a home to many a wary animal - a back scratcher to others. All evident by the padded down grass under its branches and the bare three trunk left exposed to the elements. But fear not, even though the leaves have parted for the winter, this tree will be alive and in full bloom come spring - once again proving never ending comfort to those will to stop by for a visit.

Typically when I ride I don’t take my big guns. I will either have a D80 with a 18-200vr or my Point-n-shoot Nikon P6000. This photo was shot with the P9000 at 34mm (1/250 sec @ f/8). This is a 13.5mp camera with a tiny sensor and I have just started to figure out how to control its limited dynamic range. I did shoot this from the back of my horse (moving as Lolo can never seem to stand still) but I have learned with this camera to use a fast shutter speed and it will usually give me very satisfactory results.

I hope in viewing this photo, you find as much peace and serenity in this tree as I did - this one Saturday on the Chico Basin Ranch.