Mancos River Canyon. The LaPlata Mountains are a subrange of the San Juan Range in southwestern Colorado, just north of the New Mexico border (and thus, not far north of my hometown of Farmington, NM). The Mancos River drains the southwestern slopes of the LaPlatas, and this image captures a glorious autumn scene from a ridge overlooking the gorge it has carved on those slopes.

Tech info: Nikon Z8 camera with Nikon 28-300mm lens at 35mm, 1/400 sec. at f/11, ISO 800

Image ©2024 James D. Peterson