I have been looking for the "perfect spot" to photograph the view of northern Sangre De Cristo Mountains in southern Chaffee County, and while this is not the greatest photo, I thought it would be worthy to display. I was actually driving southbound on Highway 285, heading towards Poncha Springs (near the Mt. Shavano rest area) when I snapped this shot from my vehicle.

The northern end of the Sangre de Cristo mountain range reaches up into the area and divides the Rio Grande River watershed (to the west and south) and the Arkansas River watershed (to the north and east). It's a pretty amazing and scenic range that runs like a thin and long "spine" all the way into northern New Mexico.

If you're interested in photographing this mountain range, lighting is best in Westcliffe for morning photography or head to the San Luis Valley (south of Poncha Pass) for the best lighting in the afternoon.