A New Chapter

Late last year, my girlfriend and I visited her parents in Santa Fe, New Mexico. It wasn’t my first visit, I knew what to expect – beautiful sunsets, vibrant natural tones, and open dark skies. It was visually apparent why the state’s nickname is “the land of enchantment.”

“I could see us living here,” I told her.

And now I get to tell you, dear reader, that we have moved to Santa Fe!

The digital panorama above is from my first astro photoshoot in New Mexico in 2025, just south of Santa Fe. The photo below, however, was taken from inside our new dining room looking out - and is technically a selfie!

I have to say – I am somewhat sad to leave the Rocky Mountains behind. Have you heard of “alpenglow,” or better yet, seen it in person? It is the first and last light to touch the mountains, a period of celebrating the approach of a new day or commemorating its passage.

I hope this picture does it justice.

If the last light to touch the mountains is alpenglow, then let’s call this feeling "alpencholy." I wish I could stay in the mountains just a bit longer, even though I am excited for what is next. But that won't stop me from reflecting on how I got here.

I moved to Colorado in 2021 after what seemed like a lifetime of trying to get there. Between my childhood visits and random vacations, I always thought to myself, “maybe someday I’ll get to live here.”

And you know what? I actually did.

To be clear, being sad to leave the mountains does not mean I am sad to be moving; in fact, I am very excited! Both can be true and I hope that is a distinction you can appreciate.

Back in July, 2019, I was in rough shape. I had accomplished my goal of getting to Washington, D.C., only to discover it wasn’t what I wanted. If I had to describe my feelings that summer in a word, it would be “failure.”

When I moved back home to Iowa, I had quite a bit of time on my hands. The mountains sounded nice (and like a good place to clear my head), so I planned a long weekend visit with a friend. I went on a new-to-me hike, visited old haunts, and came back feeling refreshed.

I remember being sad to leave the mountains. I told myself, “I want to do whatever I can to visit next year.”

The summer of 2020 came around and, I think, something large and societally destructive happened. I can’t quite place it. Hmm. Anyway, I was able to make it back out to the mountains again and revisited that hike from 2019. I had fun and made memories, but still I was sad to leave the mountains.

Two years in a row was pretty good, though. “If I can make it back here a third year in a row,” I thought, “then it will be a real tradition.”

I spent most of the rest of 2020 and much of 2021 earning my master’s degree. As a graduation gift to myself, I booked a Labor Day weekend trip out to Rocky Mountain National Park again.

This time, though, I had a digital camera and was just beginning to experiment with photography. I even made my pilgrimage up that trail again!

After three years in the making, I did it; I made a tradition out of getting to see the mountains. I was almost immediately offered a job in Denver, transforming my annual visits into permanent residence.

I am not sure why I felt so compelled to revisit that hike every year… Maybe it was an association with peace during turbulent times, maybe it was just plain old escapism. In any case, I have continued to complete that hike every year since.

I almost forgot this is a photography blog; here is one of my favorite film shots from that trail.

All of this is to say: the original title for this post was going to be “Saying Goodbye to Colorado.” But it is not. Instead, it is a new chapter.

I still have existing plans in the Rocky Mountains throughout 2026, which you can count on me sharing here. Plus, my job requires me to stay in Denver every six weeks or so anyway. If this is the first time you are realizing photography is not my full-time job, then I am sorry to disappoint.

But for now, I am going to celebrate what made Colorado, well, Colorado for me.

A lot of it was late nights, truth be told, and a lot of driving. I found the darkness and the distance from the Denver metro inviting, peaceful. The mystery of “what could be over that ridge or in that valley” a tantalizing lure away from civilization.

Seeing in the dark became a refined skill and I even got better at identifying constellations (still some work to do there!). Planning night trips became easier than planning day trips… due in no small part to the fact that it was usually just me and there was less traffic.

Night escapes became just “nightscapes,” often featuring Colorado’s national parks. Rocky Mountain National Park practically became my second home. With an easy drive to the alpine tundra and decent access to dark skies, how could I stay away?

I gave backpacking a shot and met new friends on the trail – even another astrophotographer! We went out several times throughout 2025 and even into 2026. One of the scenes we shot together wound up in a magazine and another in a gallery!

Since you are reading this on my blog, here is a shot from our latest outing that I am publishing just for this post. This is a single exposure of Longs Peak with the Milky Way suspended above and waves of fog below.

This place is undeniably special to me. I have truly enjoyed my time living here and getting to call it home. Now that I have the people and places in my life that I do, I think I can at last move away from the mountains… and be happy.

But if you think for a MINUTE that I am giving up on photography, well you have another thing coming. I am super excited to get out there and explore New Mexico. A whole new set of mountains to visit? New parks and trails to map? New – and darker! – skies to be photographed? I know all these adventures and more lie ahead of me.

Not to mention, this is a chile-lover’s paradise.

If you made it this far – heck, if you have been reading my blog posts at all – thank you. Sometimes it feels like I am writing into the void, other times I hear from people who let me know they enjoy getting to see other parts of the country.

Moving and getting settled in is kind of taking it out of me, but I’ll still be trying to update my blog semi-regularly. Thank you for reading, and here's hoping I get to see you in the Land of Enchantment sometime soon.

Fly safe!