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ENTS,
Attached are seven images of what has become one of Monica's
favorite places. The location is the Falls Creek Recreation Area in
the San Juan National Forest just north of Durango.
Falls Creek is an idyllic little mountain valley surrounded by
long ridges capped by colorful sandstone formations. It is a
quintessential western landscape. The hues of the sculpted rock are
predominantly white and red-orange. Beneath the cliffs, along the
sweep of the ridges, old pinyon and ponderosa pines mix with Rocky
Mountain juniper to form a continuous cloak of green. Although the
rock formations are prominent and eye-catching, Falls Creek is an
environment dominated by forest and meadow. Where the ridge contours
are gentle, interspersed with the trees are displays of showy wild
flowers - testament to abundant sunlight. One can easily identify a
dozen or more species of flowers without looking for
long. Throughout Falls Creek, splendid views occur in all
directions. One never feels cheated or disappointed. The scenes are
presented to the visitor in bold strokes, yet there is an intimacy
to the place. It feels safe and friendly.
While most of the surrounding ridges are too rugged for Monica to
contemplate exploring, there is a narrow, relatively low ridge in
Falls Creek that was designed specifically for her. She loves to
walk along its gentle contours. At all points along the ridge, great
views, old trees, grassy glades, wild flowers, and birds present
themselves for Monica's enjoyment. Walking on the ridge crest makes
one feel as though one is witness to a play written and directed by
Mother Nature designed to enchant the audience and remind each
member that nature is the master artist.
What especially appeals to Monica are the intimate spots where
nature shows her wares in miniature displays. These haunting little
places never induce claustrophobia in those so inclined. They are
all cast against the grand backdrop of colorful sandstone and azure
sky, so that the eye is treated to a rainbow of hues shining
radiantly through curtains of dark foliage. Splashes of vivid
whites, reds, and blues penetrate a surrounding of the dark green
foliage and gray-brown trunks of the gnarly old trees. The dirt
beneath the feet is red, the patches of grasses, green to amber.
These fairy tale spots induce in Monica a feeling comfort and
well-being. Nature embraces and soothes her. For a period, she
becomes part of the place. There is no separation between her and
the surrounding life forms.
Well, with this admittedly inadequate descriptive introduction, I
will now let the images do the talking. Hopefully, my pictures will
capture at least a whisper of the spell that Falls Creek casts.
Description of images:
1. This image looks into the Animas River Valley from the ridge
top we were on. The train returning from Silverton is visible in the
valley.
2. This image looks toward the northeast and across the verdant
Animas River Valley. U.S. 550 and the Durango and Silverton RR run
through the valley - one a corridor for the busy and detached and
the other for the joyful and included. Farms dot the productive land
productive near the river and help feed the growing population of
Durango. To provide a vertical perspective, the part of the valley
in the photograph lies at an altitude of between 6,500 and 6,600
feet. We're at an altitude of around 7,100 feet where I snapped the
shutter.
3. This image looks to the southwest and across a ridge that
hides a long, lovely meadow. It is the meadow we cross to reach our
favored spots. Beyond the meadow, lie the walls of a scenic canyon.
The road winds through the canyon. It is the route we take to get to
Falls Creek.
4. This image looks to the north, across a grove of mature
ponderosas and toward the towering peaks beyond of the lofty San
Juans. The direction is toward the West Needles and Needles -
subranges of the San Juans that attract only expert mountaineers. As
an aside, for people driving north from Durango on U.S. 550, the
Needles group dominates the view and presents some of the most
dramatic valley to mountain contrasts. By late September or early
October, the high peaks will don a mantle of white, while beneath
one beholds the brilliance of the aspens. No sight is more glorious.
But back to the spot. Within the grove of ponderosas are numerous
small meadows. It is this quintessential mix of meadows and trees
that I find most appealing. One has room to casually walk and
appreciate both environments.
5. This image is of one of those intimate little spots, which
compels to Monica to return to Falls Creek. I call the spot in the
image, 'Monica's Magic Hideout'. One can sit contemplatively in the
shade of gnarly old pinyons that reveal their ages through the
twists and bends of stout trunks and limbs, lost bark, and remaining
tufts of foliage. Gazing between their trunks and through their
branches, the broad meadow unfolds beyond. There the
eyes are treated to waving grasses of pure meadow that give way
around its borders to savanna - those appealing mixes of grass and
trees. Looking farther, bold cliffs rise abruptly as if to remind
one that the land beyond, while beautiful, is unforgiving. It is a
place of stark contrasts.
6. This image is of a small patch of vivid asters. Yes, a touch
of New England. But there are many less familiar species of wild
flowers to attract attention in Falls Creek. Monica and I struggled
to identify a species of lily and a species of sunflower. Monica
identified the sunflower as the woolly sunflower, but the particular
species of lily was not portrayed. Flower books miss a lot of
species that dominate a region and cause one to wonder what good are
the little flower books that are supposed to present the species of
a contained region. One must go out armed with 3 or 4 good books to
have much of a chance - or one of those dreadful thick volumes with
inscrutable keys that never seem to work well enough.
7. The final image shows Monica, Rocky, and an old pinyon. This
location is an intimate spot where Monica connects to the denizens
of the ridge. The old pinyon is the patriarch of the spot. Its role
is to promote a feeling of harmony and well being among the denizens
it supports. The sensation of well being comes naturally to those
willing to sit meditatively in the presence of this old tree.
Enjoy.
Bob
Continued
at:
http://groups.google.com/group/entstrees/browse_thread/thread/90d3c01931a01dca?hl=en
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