White River Country

Driving from the Maroon Bells toward Wyoming took me through the White River country. I had been to Rifle once on my west out I-70 to Ouray, but had never ventured north.

After escaping the surprising development along the Roaring Fork between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, I was eager to get to a less settled area.

I followed the road north of Rifle into a hilly ranching country. This was a place of cowboys and had the look of the old west.

As I drove I encountered the White River and was I ever impressed. The grassy hills with this small river winding down the valleys lined with golden cottonwoods was a wonderful sight.

I was intent on getting to Wyoming but had to make a few stops to take it in and take a few images.

Here are a couple to just touch on the area.

The geese were honking and milling around the rivers edge. Not many more birds than you see in the image but a pleasant sight none the less.


Then a view of the river as it turns past a stand of cottonwood. I may have missed the aspen this far north but the cottonwoods were very nice and provided a source of photographic inspiration along the White River, Yampa River, and Little Snake River as I moved north.

All of them seemed right out of a movie and even the little towns had an authentic quality that most places lacked these days.

So after enjoying the river country I crossed the state line and headed toward the mountains.