A Lens on the Wildflowers
Like Dorthey and her friends in the poppy field
Nine excited photographers climbed into the 4-wheel drives and set out to find fields of wildflowers. We were all taking a workshop from Jeff Johnson of Soul Road Trips, a fantastic photographer and teacher. Jeff’s energy and enthusiasm are simply contagious. He’s been traveling from the Denver area to Ouray, CO, for over 15 years and he still has a level of enthusiasm that would make you think it was his first time to travel there.
We take the 4-wheel drives up the mountain, bumping back and forth over the rocks and the switchbacks, hoping that we don’t meet another vehicle trying to make its way down the mountain. Parts of the road narrow to a single lane. On one side of the road is the mountain going straight up and on the other side is an immediate, deep drop-off that seems to be bottomless. It’s dark at the bottom. The mountain itself has evidence of the dynamite blasts that once cut through the rock to make the road. Small streams make their way over the road in places.
At something over 11000 feet, we get to Twin Falls on Sneffels Creek that cut across the heart of the Yankee Boy Basin. The basin is a carpet of wildflowers: white, red, bright yellow, soft blue, purple. It makes you think of Dorthey and her friends in the poppy field. We are giddy and a little bit overwhelmed as we get the equipment out of the vehicles and spread ourselves out among the flowers. It’s a bit past actual sunrise, but the mountain shadows are still shading the slopes of the basin. The mountain shadow is not a sharp, dark shadow at this time, but it is soft and wraps each flower. Everyone is mesmerized.
We had a weekend together in this wonderland, and we all knew how special it was, how unique the experience was that we shared. We all had new friendships and fresh ideas from being in this place together.
As the workshop came to a close, we all shared a smile, knowing that we each had been changed just a little.
