Always breathtaking

We took a spin through the Garden of the Gods on the evening of July 6th, after a particularly trying day. The spectacular views never fail to recharge our batteries. We're lucky to live only 15 minutes from this glorious place! It's always breathtaking in the Garden of the Gods, but particularly so in the summer, around dinnertime. These photos were taken at roughly 6:30pm. If you want the best possible pictures, that's the best time of day to go, and the best time of year. For one thing, the light is at a low angle and creates dramatic shadows; for another thing, most of the tourists have come and gone by 6:00pm, so it's a lot less crowded. Take note, shutterbugs!

The other photos in this post were taken with the sun and the mountains at my back. This one was taken facing west, toward the sun, and as you can see, the mountains are back lit, causing them to be silhouetted. If you prefer to see blue skies above Pikes Peak and lots of detail instead of a silhouette, the best time to photograph it is early in the morning.