Stevens Family Calendar: November

This is part of a series about the Stevens Family Calendar (if you know, you know).

More yellow, more drama than October's page

Last month's theme was autumn in all its glory. November is similar, but with a twist. 

All this month's shots are taken in the mountains of the west, primarily in Alaska, Colorado, Montana, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming. This could be a little confusing (and, perhaps even redundant) because I used shots from these places in January, March and December. It's more about design that chronology. So, if you see two similar photos in different places, it's OK.

For example, January also featured Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, as will December; the upper left photo (which has a Bear in in) is in the opening; Left photos: Scott Stevens

Many of the photos for both the main page and the calendar page came from a solo trip Scott took to Alaska. 

Used on the back cover; Photo: Scott Stevens

Then, there is a smattering of other photos both on the calendar and in the rejection bin.

His main purpose (as it often is) was to find some spectacular northern lights. He likes to travel to Alaska in mid-September because the Park is usually still open, animals are often still up and about, but there is enough dark to see aurora. 

In mid-summer, when we went to Dutch Harbor, there wasn't much dark at all.

It turns out that the lights didn't deliver too much, nor did the animals (more on them later), but the Alaskan landscape did.

Fall comes early along the Savage River in Denali National Park;
the left shot is on the main page and the right is on the cover; Photos: Scott Stevens

When the temperatures start to drop in the fall, one of two things happens, depending on the type of foliage where you are. When there are low bushes and tundra, such as in many parts of Denali, the ground cover turns blazing red and orange.

This stunning shot is on the calendar page; Photo: Scott Stevens

When you have a mix of pines and deciduous tree, you get a lovely patchwork of green and gold.

An early fall Alaska vista that appears on the cover; Photo: Scott Stevens

And, of course, regardless of the month, the higher elevations always maintain their mantles of snow and ice.

Denali (AKA "the Great One) is America's tallest mountain; Photo: Scott Stevens

Scott got some fabulous photos in Denali and it was hard to pick our favorites to feature in the calendar.

We used this on the main page; Photo: Scott Stevens

But, we could have used this; Photo: Scott Stevens

All four of these are deserving; we used the lower right on the calendar page; Photos: Scott Stevens

And, who doesn't love trains? These late season Alaska Railroad shots are beautiful;
the top one is on the calendar page; Photos: Scott Stevens 

The Falls with some snow: Photo: Scott Stevens

It's a similar situation with Grand Teton and Yellowstone. 

We go often, so we feature photos of these two National Parks in our calendars almost every year. 

They are just so dang gorgeous that it is hard to stop. 

This month, we refrained from the usual type shots (go to January for that) and instead used a lovely photo of Upper Yellowstone Falls on the main November page.

Plus, we included a photo of a ranch in rural Wyoming just south of Grand Teton in the opening section.

The top made it; the bottom didn't; Photos: Scott Stevens

We used a shot of western Yellowstone National Park in the opening section as well.

North of Norris and south of Mammoth

The Gunnison River is on the main page;
Photo: Scott Stevens

But, we don't really have to travel far to get some gorgeous fall photos.

A trip just west of us through the Rockies yielded lots of calendar-worthy photography. It was so close to home, I never even blogged about it. 

On that trip, we traveled to Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, Ridgway, Ouray and down Highway 149 through a slice of the mountains I had not seen.

I just love living in Colorado. You can't throw a rock without hitting something spectacular. And, we have lots of rocks you can throw.

This shot is on the main page; Photo: Scott Stevens

These aren't; but they could be; Photos: Scott Stevens

The minerals give an autumn look even when there are no leaves: Photo: Scott Stevens

Lots of pretty shots along the Million dollar Highway and Black Canyon of the Gunnison; All photos but upper left: Scott Stevens

Every now and again you grab just one photo of a place and it turns out to be a winner. In fall 2022, I accompanied Caty to Midway, Utah, so that she could get SCUBA certified before our Thanksgiving trip to Maui. While she was being tested, I drove around town.

Just one photo that we used on the calendar page! Just one!

I also got one nice fall photo when I went Great Basin National Park, which was also featured on the March calendar page.

As pretty as it is, it is not a vibrant as others, so we passed on it

Ditto with this shot from near Ouray, Colorado

I featured some historic building in October. Colorado has some, too.

An old mine near Silverton, Colorado; we used the left photo on the back cover

I mentioned animals above. Sometimes fall delivers in droves. Last year, we had just a few.

This Wolf shot photographed in Denali is on the calendar page

Bull Moose in Alaska, left, and Colorado; the one on the right is on the calendar page; Left photo: Scott Stevens

Without antlers, the ladies don't get as much love; Left photo: Scott Stevens

I am not implying that there aren't fall animals. It's just that, this year, we didn't find great ones where we went looking and we didn't go out looking in places where we often find great ones, such as herds of Elk in Rocky Mountain National Park. But, we've done that before.

Fall leaves; Photo: Scott Stevens

So, what's the bottom line on putting together a fall calendar page?

First, fall occurs at different times in different places, so you can get lots of photos if you time it right.  

Second, you don't have to travel all over the world when there is a beautiful fall landscape right outside your door.

But, it certainly doesn't hurt.

One last look at Denali with "terminal dust" (Alaskan slang for the season's first snowfall)
on the distant mountains; Photo: Scott Stevens

Just one more to go for 2024.

Next month, it's winter! This is in Great Smoky Mountains National Park; Photo: Scott Stevens

Stevens Family Calendar: October

This is part of a series about the Stevens Family Calendar (if you know, you know).

Color!

I try to match my calendar designs to the season. Depending on where we have traveled in the past year, this can be very easy or very difficult.

For example, I struggled a bit with winter this year, but the next calendar will have lots of snowy, icy scenes because of our trip to Antarctica. Some years we struggle with autumn shots, but the this year we did well. 

That's because for two falls in a row, we've traveled east (see here and here) looking for good fall photo opportunities, picking up great photos in Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and West Virginia. 

Both those trips appear in this calendar because our travel schedule didn't give me enough time to include the first trip in the 2023 calendar. 

I love fall and I think that fall colors make some of the most beautiful photos you can imagine.

I mean just look at this tree in Illinois that we used on the main page; Photo: Scott Stevens

We had a lot of magnificent orange, yellow, red and gold trees to choose from. The most brilliant colors were in Illinois and Indiana ...

Amazing! And, we didn't have room for any of them!

Among my favorites are these shots of a Paper wasp nest in Indiana; we opted to use the more zoomed-in shot of the main page

... and the most variety was in Great Smoky Mountains National Park (Tennessee/North Carolina).

A shot from Cades Cove in the Smokies we didn't use; Photo: Scott Stevens

In the Smokies, we saw a few Black Bears (yeah, I know, after last month's post, you were probably hoping not to have to look at any more Bears!).

How often do you see THREE cubs? This one is on the calendar page; Photo: Scott Stevens

We had more, but enough is enough! Photos: Scott Stevens

The Smokies are a great place to see historical structures. 

I like the moodiness of these blacksmith shop photos, but they are very dark; the left is on the calendar page (but, the darkness made it almost disappear)

The National Park has an abundance of picturesque cabins and barns;
the upper right photo by Scott is on the calendar page ...

... mills (not on the calendar) ...

... and farmsteads (also not)

We also had some historic shots from Pennsylvania ...

We didn't use the historic pumphouse, covered bridge or cabin; Photos: Scott Stevens

... and a great farm from South Bend, Indiana, where Scott was born (he was born in South Bend, not on the farm!)..

So pretty, we used in on the main page; Photo: Scott Stevens

I picked up some nice photos of a lighthouse on Lake Erie in northern Ohio.

Although not a screamingly autumn as the others, these were taken in the fall (but they just didn't fit)

We even had some nice fall shots were the trees still retained some green. 

Turning trees in Indiana; the right is on the main page as a foil for all the orange and red;
Photos: Scott Stevens

But, let's get back to all the brilliant fall landscapes we captured.

A favorite, obviously, is this main page shot of a road in Cades Cove that Scott got

This viewpoint always reminds me of my favorite photo of Scott's dad, taken in 1973;
Photos: Scott Stevens

This tree on the way to fall is on the calendar page

Cades Cove, has probably the most gentle beauty of anywhere on Earth. 

I don't know if it is because this was a place I went as both a young child and a newly engaged and then young married adult or if this place is the place of my direct ancestors or if it is just gorgeous. But, it is a favorite place. 

Fall is where Cades Cove it really shines; Photo: Scott Stevens

We saw so many beautiful vistas in the Smokies (not used unless noted) ... 

The left one of these two taken from an overlook on
the Park's Roaring Fork Motor Nature Trail is on the calendar page

Mountainsides in the Park and on the Blue Ridge Parkway;
Upper left, upper right and bottom photos: Scott Stevens

Wow! Photos: Scott Stevens

And, quiet walks in the forest paid off...

I had a hard time eliminating these; All photos except middle bottom: Scott Stevens

Some of the most beautiful fall photos we ever got, we found by just wandering and taking unexpected turns.

Who even ever heard of Potato Creek State Park in Indiana?
And, now a photo of it (the left) is on our calendar's October main page

And, of course, some destinations were intentional ...

From our first visit back to New River Gorge in West Virginia since it became a National Park;
the right photo is on the calendar cover

During our travels, we visited some other beautiful parks ...

Red River Gorge in Kentucky; Photos: Scott Stevens ...

Singing Woods Prairie in Illinois

Starved Rock State Park in Illinois; this one is in the opening section

Magee Marsh in Ohio; the right is on the calendar page

All was in search of leaves ...

More from Potato Creek; Photos: Scott Stevens

A fall cascade at Red River Gorge

But, we had a good time with fall berries, too ...

The left and bottom middle were along the Blue Ridge Parkway;
the top middle and right are more from Potato Creek; Bottom middle photo: Scott Stevens

This shot Scott took in Illinois is in the opening section

As you can see, fall foliage photos are amazing, providing an incredible pop of color to any layout. 

I didn't mention above why we have to travel to get good autumn shots. It's because fall in Colorado tends to be very yellow, with just a few trees that turn orange and less that are red. 

The Midwest, Appalachian Mountains and East Coast are where autumn really blazes.

So, every couple of years, we pack it up and drive east. 

Leaves on the ground may mean you're late;
Calendar page photo: Scott Stevens

The tricky part, of course, is gauging when to travel. 

We have to make sure we aren't too early (we have been) or too late (we have been) and to avoid getting caught in early fall snow storms (we have had to rearrange plans and rush home early to do that). 

It's a gamble, but sometimes it pays off.

The Sinks in the Smokies is on the main page

Similar leaves in Pennsylvania and Indiana; the left photo is on the cover and
the right is on the calendar page; Left photo: Scott Stevens

Scenes along creeks; All photos but far right: Scott Stevens

More creeks; Right photo: Scott Stevens

It seems odd to be talking about the 2024 calendar while I am am beginning work on 2025. These photos seem so long ago and I have taken so, so many since then. But, I do like to share what we had to work with and how we put the calendars together.

Some things are timeless

As I said, fall is sometimes a challenge because we have nothing and sometimes a challenge because we have too much. It is a beautiful time of year and we are happy to share our favorite shots with you.

That's especially true when we have so many we can't fit in; Photos: Scott Stevens

I am quite fond of photos of roads and paths because they tell a story that has molded much of our adult lives: the possibilities of seeing new places, revisiting favorite spots and taking even more wonderful photographs. 

We used the left in the opener and the middle on the back cover;
Middle and right photos: Scott Stevens

But, fall isn't over yet. Next month, we'll explore autumn in the west.

A Moose cow in Ouray, Colorado