Parts Unknown II

In the Rockies, there are about a dozen days a year when a big storm
passes through and clears, leaving behind a winter wonderland and
kind, gentle light. This is the filmmaker’s big opportunity, provided
the props are in place and access is still possible. It is always
challenging, but these are the days we wait for. They don’t come
that often. We know the Durango to Silverton steam train well and
have built up a strong friendship with the owner Al Harper. I sensed
there was an opportunity at this jaw-dropping location made
famous by its appearance some 50 years ago in Butch Cassidy and
the Sundance Kid. We were in town and waiting as the storm system
pushed through. It had lasted 36 hours and left 18 inches of new
snow in the San Juan Forest that the old steam train cuts through.
We had to operate fast, as the light was picking up all the time and
both teams worked quickly to get everyone in position early in the
day. When I look at this photograph, I feel some sense of pride, it is
a hell of a shot. But not pride in myself, pride in all the people that
made it happen.