August 12, 2026
Trail Ridge Road
I spent some of the morning up in the tundra in Rocky Mountain National Park as there was a little less smoke in the air, but still enough to give everything a soft feel. It was still surprisingly green up there, but the alpine avens were beginning to turn red and I saw arctic gentians getting ready to bloom. These are always the last flowers of the year. So, autumn is quickly approching in the high country and then over the next six weeks will make its way down and through the park. Photo © copyright by Erik Stensland.