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Pawnee National Grasslands



Governor Polis lifted the stay at home restriction in Colorado and now we are on the safer at home policy, which means try to stay at home.  Some restaurants and places of business are opening back up around the state.  Erich and I wanted to head out to Pawnee Buttes just outside of Fort Morgan on Friday night to shoot some stars, but the weather did not cooperate.  I just can't shoot any more flowers in the house!  Storms were coming in so we decided to go out on Saturday and make a day of it.  Even if it a bust for photography, it is a nice drive anyway.  It is about a two and half hour drive through the plains on county roads. Got some pretty good photos!

We came in from the top this time and saw a lot of people camping with tents and trailers.  I was kind of surprised to see so many people here, it is usually a place where not too many people go.  Pawnee Buttes is in the Pawnee Grasslands and is part of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM).  Most places in the BLM are not overly crowded, but with all of us trapped inside due to the COVID19 pandemic, many people are going out and are most likely looking for less populated areas.  As did we, but then again we are always looking for those places.

The goal for today was experimenting with long exposures using the Lee filters; the ND Grad and the big blocker.  I have to say the new Manfrotto tripod was fantastic for this shoot!  It is heavy enough and has a little hook on one of the legs where I could hang my bag.  No movement...but I did forget my iPhone in the Jeep so I had to hold the shutter down for my two minute shots. It was a bit windy and was chilly.




On the way out we knew there was an abandon house that we shot before.  The house was quite different than the last time we photographed it.  Someone cut down all the trees that were surrounding it so it was bare and full of bullet holes.  Still a pretty cool shoot.  Lot's of good texture. 





First time shooting the house back in 2017.


Across the road there was a lone tree in the field with a dramatic sky. A little farther and we stopped at a small bridge to shoot a river.  Great day out of the house!








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Location: Pawnee Buttes, Colorado 80729, USA

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