I just got back from my birthday road trip a few hours ago, and I had a blast! I decided to head to Rifle, Colorado, a mountain town about four hours west of Denver along Interstate 70 so I could photograph the lush Rifle Falls. The breathtaking waterfall was amazing to see, hear and feel. You'd think you had wandered into a jungle as the spray hit the rocky limestone cliffs, creating a misty secret garden of moss covered rocks. I felt like a child getting pelted with the spray, and I had to resist a strong urge to leap into the base of the waterfall. I've never seen anything like it.
This Cancerian felt like she was home. When I wasn't sitting for hours just watching the falls, I was shooting from every angle I could, amassing nearly 300 shots from morning through the night. I hiked to the top of the waterfall to get this gorgeous bird's eye view. This was the first one I edited as soon as I got home, and more will follow. I'm proud of this one because I used some of the new techniques I learned in my Photoshop 2 class with Armando Martinez. Curves helped me make that rock on the lower left hand part of the frame blend in more. Did you notice it when you looked at the image? I hope not!
These solo excursions on my birthday have become an annual rite of rejuvation. Last year, I went to Mt. Evans...which was no easy feat for this city girl. I had to overcome some fears driving up there alone, but having done so filled me with a great sense of accomplishment. I was a little afraid traveling by myself at first, but I grew more comfortable with it as the days progressed. And I made new friends along the way, including a new photographer buddy I met at the falls, Vince. Plus, being alone gave me the opportunity to reconnect with myself, an act that within itself is always time well spent.
