On our way to dinner one night in Grand Junction, the combination of the sunset, the huge, puffy clouds and the reflection in Alpine Bank’s windows stopped us dead in our tracks. In order to get this shot my friends hoisted me onto a telephone booth and I scrambled to the top so the shorter buildings in the foreground would be out of my way. I really like how the building and the clouds blend together at this moment. Because living in a box canyon seriously constrains our views, I absolutely love getting out into open spaces where I can see miles and miles of landscape and sky.

When someone says “I’m going to Grand Junction area for the weekend,” the typical response is “Oh… Why?” It’s not exactly the hippest spot in Colorado, but I loved it when I visited one of my good friends there recently. The mesas surrounding the city trap light and glow with crimson, and nearby Unaweep Canyon is an incredibly special spot, with no crowds, great climbing and two creeks flowing from its center. During our climbing/camping trip, a stray splinter snagged our friend Trevor while he collected firewood, but thankfully the good doctor Brian DiMarzio was there to remove it. And the next day of climbing was saved.