Arizona is known for its dramatic sunrises and sunsets. We seem to be blessed with a lot of low, flat cloud cover with a gap at the horizon. Warm, refracted sunlight striking the bottom of the clouds paints the sky in fiery colors. I was paddling a kayak on a local lake before dawn this morning and witnessed a blazing sunrise reflecting off the clouds and the water. The air was crystal clear after yesterday's monsoon downpour. The drama was short-lived as the sun rose above the edge of the clouds and colors faded back to drab.
     I knew that in mid-October the sun would rise directly behind the Snowflake Temple from one of my favorite vantage points. I spent several mornings at this spot waiting for just the right light. After a while the early-risers just wave and don't give a second glance to the photographer standing in the field with the odd camera on a big tripod. The colors look warm, but the temperatures were below freezing. The image was just what I wanted and makes all the cold and lack of sleep worthwhile.