I would agree with mansfield. However, if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle and have time to get "off-road" there are some spectacular shots off the highway just meandering around on the side tracks. Go to a sporting goods store or book store and purchase a good off-road map. Just explore and keep your eyes open. One great road to explore (not difficult) is Black Bear Pass just south of Ouray. You get up high and there are some great shots of the San Juan Mountains just make sure you turn around before taking the plunge into Telluride. VERY DANGEROUS! Spend some time in Silverton and drive up to the old town of Animas. Again, this is all assuming you have 4 wheel drive. If you don't have the appropriate vehicle, just enjoy the beauty of the San Juans from the Highway. A beautiful drive. Another great side trip would be to Telluride for a day. Take the gondola and just roam around the old historic town where Butch Cassidy robed his first bank. And if you have 4 wheel drive you might take the road over Imogene Pass from Ouray to Telluride. Wonderful trip into the high country. If you have any further questions, send me a private message. This is my back yard.

Have fun and enjoy! Neil

You are an easy train ride to Zermatt where you will get a terrific introduction to the Swiss Alps. Plenty of great hikes.

"Board the cog railway to the summit of the Gornergrat—this is the highest cog railway on the continent—and enjoy sweeping views of the Alpine scenery during the 35-minute ride. Upon arrival at the upper station, take in the crisp air and clear views at 10,285 feet (3,135 meters) above sea level. The Gornergrat looks directly towards the summit of the Matterhorn, and this is the perfect place to capture an iconic shot of the dramatic mountain."

From the top it is a very easy hike down which will give you plenty of time to take plenty of pictures of the surrounding area including the Matterhorn. There is a great little alpine lake if the weather is good. It is more fun to walk down on easy trails than taking the train back. However, you can pick up the train halfway down the trail if you so desire. Also, from Montreux it is an easy day trip to Chamonix and Mont Blanc. I spent a couple days in Montreux and was not very impressed. However that is just my perspective. It is a very nice, high-end resort area, if that is your thing.

Enjoy your trip. It is a fantastic region of the world.

Thank you for the kind words. The first two are on a calendar.

From the mountains of Colorado to the beaches of Australia

Stunning! I am impressed.

#1 Great atmospherics and light. And I love Yosemite. Good luck

Run just as fast from 42 st photo. Stop looking for the Best deal and just buy from B&H or Adorama; get a very good deal without any negative issues.

I recently returned from 5 weeks in New Zealand and Australia. The first week was spent in the southern Island of New Zealand. I had been looking forward to this trip for my entire life. While in Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound (two amazing places) we lived through gale force winds of 75 miles per hour and constant rain. Never did see the spectacular natural beauty you see in the promotional images. However, we did see amazing waterfalls everywhere. Just different images. So, good luck on the Oregon Coast. Maybe you will get wonderful atmospheric images and perhaps the sun will break through for that once in a lifetime perfect shot. Good luck and enjoy.

I like them a lot. Is this near Bluff?

Excellent shots! Totally understand about the stark, cloudless sky. However, you have a great eye for composition and these images reflect that.

Good question. I shoot RAW + Fine (JPEG) using both SD slots. I have never really paid attention to the # of shots, just ready with an additional battery if need be. However, a battery usually lasts me a full day of intermittent shooting. I also pay attention to turning the camera off regularly when not shooting.

I love my 55-200mm when I want to compress or zero in on that perfectly lighted mountain peak during magic time. I am mostly a landscape photographer so do not find a huge need for the 100-400mm but if I had the money sitting around doing nothing would probably purchase it. Regarding batteries, I always carry with me 3 fully charged Fuji batteries and make sure I have my charger with me. I rarely shoot video so the batteries are fine.

I have the Fuji X-T2 with the following lenses; 10-24, 18-55, 55-200, 18-135, 35 2.0 Prime. When I can afford a new lens I will be getting the 16 2.8 prime. All the Fuji lenses are great but to purchase the whole load I mentioned is more then your budget allows. Having used this camera and lenses on a recent trip to New Zealand I would recommend purchasing the 10-24 and 18-135. Neither of those will help with shooting wildlife from a long distance but will cover 95% of all other shots with great IQ. I used the 18-135 80% of the time changing only to the 10-24 on those special occasions where I wanted the additional wide perspective. Although I had the other lenses with me, I didn't use them except for the 16mm 2.8 on a couple occasions. I also own Canon equipment but am totally in love with my X-T2. Enjoy and have fun on your trip.

[quote=Mike D.]This is the reason for the signs at the state lines saying, “Welcome to Colorful Colorado”.

It’s unfortunate that our area is predominately brown this time of year.

Yes, the drought is taking a toll on the mountains and global warming is killing our trees. Bark Beetle is an insidious menace ruining our forests. There is a little good news. The monsoons have begun and it is starting to green up in the high country. We need lots and lots of rain to mitigate the terrible (less than 50% of normal) snowfall from this past winter. At least in the Southwest portion of the state which is where these images come from. God forbid we have another dry winter. Let's all hope for at least a normal winter season although I think we should all get used to the current dryer and hotter than normal patterns. Not going away folks.

Laserlight Photographic out of Aptos, CA. Bill Nordstrom.