Vacation Sunrises…and a Sunset

Catching images of sunrises and sunsets is a typical ‘vacation’ activity. Our recent trip to Utah (and transit of Colorado) was no exception. I was up well before dawn every morning - transitioning to Mountain Time but keeping to my regular morning routine which usually starts between 5:30 and 6 AM; this time of year that means that I am ready for photography before dawn.

The first morning there was a thin bank of clouds to catch the morning color of the dawn in Monticello UT.

The second morning there was snow on the ground and I used the early morning light to capture my favorite tree on the golf course below.

A few days later the clouds gathered at sunset to capture the last color of the day.

And then the sunrise on the last day of vacation from the hotel near the Denver International Airport - full of celebration for the new day and a wonderful vacation.

Tucson Sunsets and Bats

The sunsets from our rental house in Tucson were pretty spectacular in June because the monsoon season was close enough for interesting cloud formation (but not rain). It was comfortable to sit outdoors watching the colors crescendo and then fade. It was not as hot as it is now in Tucson and there had not been rain yet so there were no mosquitos.

The other phenomenon at that time of day in Tucson in June is the emergence of bats from the overpasses at dusk. On one of the last days we were in Tucson we decided see them emerge at a place where there is a walkway under the overpass. We heard sounds as we walked underneath. Was that the bats moving? It turns out that it was but we didn’t see them. They were far up in the nooks and crannies of the overpass. We watched for a few minutes - waiting. And then the first bats took to the air. More and more emerged and flew off in both directions in clusters. They were off to enjoy ripe Saguaro fruits. It was all over in about 5 minutes. Walking back to the car, the pile of monsoon clouds was reflecting the last of the daylight.

Sunset and Sunrise as Assateague Island National Seashore - May 2013

I visited the Assateague Island National Seashore in Virginia this week. There was a brisk sea breeze at both sunrise and sunset - enough to keep the mosquitos away.

The sunset was observed from the Toms Cove Visitor Center. We arrived a bit too early but there things to photograph beforehand - birds getting a snack before darkness and the lighthouse. The lighthouse in undergoing renovation and the cables used are seen in the image. The sunset itself was made more interesting by a lower bank of clouds. After the sun was behind the horizon the swirls in the clouds became more apparent.

The sunrise was observed looking out over the Atlantic from the beach. Again we arrived early but were shortly joined by a few others. It was before 6 AM! One person arrived on a motorcycle and headed off down the beach with his camera. A group of five people walked halfway down to the beach but then stopped and just stood huddled in the morning coolness to watch the sunrise. A man got out a folding chair and walked halfway to the shore and then sat. After photographing the lighthouse in the near darkness, I walked down to the beach. There were no shells to pick up but there was a sandcastle that someone had constructed the day before that incorporated a horseshoe crab into its structure and the waves were crashing to shore; it was good to hear them without the beach repair machinery noise of the previous day.

There was a boat visible in the morning mist. I took a few pictures of birds waking up.

The clouds were thick enough that the sun was hidden until it was well above the horizon and the color did not extend to all the clouds. It was a misty dawn.

Arizona Sunset

We noted a turn out partway up Mount Lemon with a view to the west across Tucson below on a drive up the mountain earlier in the day then returned just before sunset. We were not the only ones with the idea. There were only a few parking places left after we parked.

The clear sky sunset was made better by the mountains on the other side of Tucson. Afterward a thin sliver of moon rose and the smudge of a comet could be seen as the darkness settled.