Wildflowers at Albion Basin
We haven't had a frost yet in SLC and the garden is still lush with marigolds, sunflowers, even roses. But the leaves are starting to fall and the garden reprieve won't last forever. At 9,500 feet, Albion has had some serious snow by now and the short summer is just a memory. Flying over the Wasatch range this morning, I remember how short the glory of autumn in the west can be: the aspencade has muted since last week, and the sagebrush slopes have taken on a soft winter dun.
More wildflowers at Albion Basin
When I made these pictures, it was a cold mountain morning in the first week of August. I waited to cross the meadow until it was light enough to be sure I wouldn't wake up a moose. No need to worry, the moose was sleeping 20 feet from a tent back in the campground. For just a few seconds, as the sunlight skims the tree tops on the ridge line, a soft light will glaze the flowers on the slopes below, and I've found places where I can race the shadow line up a hillside.
I'm hoping for wildflowers in Bariloche - it might be a bit early for a mountain spring. I'll find out in about 7,500 miles.
