Cherryvale Road Open Space, Boulder

First Three Flatirons, Sunrise. Boulder, Colorado, 2015 (Note the CU on the Third Flatiron.)

First Three Flatirons, Sunrise. Boulder, Colorado, 2015 (Can you make out the “CU” on the Third Flatiron? Sugarloaf Mountain is in shadow on the far right.)

I finally got around to exploring another small bit of Open Space land that sits about five minutes away from where we live. I had driven by hundreds of times, but finally decided that today the site was worth an attempt at sunrise-on-the-Flatirons photography.

The location is popular with dogs walking their folks and is sort of a farmland triangle wedged between Highway 36, Highway 170, and extending east of Cherryvale Road. You’ll find it on the Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks Map.

My idea was to hike across the fields to the top of the ridge to see if the light and clouds would cooperate for a spectacular pink and red sunrise on the Flatirons. The image above was about the best it got, though, due to a pretty boring low overcast that clouded over the high peaks (instead of the extraterrestrial high-altitude, pre-frontal, wave clouds I was hunting). So, I ended up concentrating on other compositions.

If you are given lemons, make some lemonade, as the saying goes.

I will definitely be returning, though, in varying weather conditions. This place is easy to get to and has a lot of potential for some classic Boulder-Flatiron panoramas, views of the Continental Divide in the Indian Peaks Wilderness and the 14er, Longs Peak, that sort of thing. And, of course, if I had a Bowser, I would walk the little tail-wagger as well! (Our cat doesn’t do too well on the leash.)