While I was happy with my sunset image of this Temple, I still wanted an image with a stormy sky. A decent storm system came through southern Arizona, so I planned another trip to the Gila Valley. I got up at 3 am again and was making pretty good time until I reached the east side of Globe. I hit a fog bank that was one of the thickest I've seen this side of the Canada Halifax Mission. I couldn't see the highway very well and had to drive about 20 mph for several miles.
     I got to the Temple about 30 minutes before sunrise and was surprised to see that Mt. Graham was almost completely covered in clouds. The composition I had in mind featured a cloud-topped mountain as a big, looming backdrop to the Temple. I set up in a spot I had scouted on my previous trip. I was on the south side of the highway (literally) with the forward leg of my tripod in the rumble-strip. The wind from passing trucks shook my whole set-up and I had to time my exposures between the trucks.
     Clouds in the eastern sky killed what could have been some nice warm light, but it may have been too contrasty anyways. Out of the 14 or 16 sheets of film I exposed, this one had the best light. It's warm and soft, and the shadows aren't really contrasty. There is a little bit of warmth in the sky to balance the cool colors in the swirling clouds.
     I'm always on pins & needles until I get my film back from the lab and I always second-guess what I saw at the time. The daytime temps headed into the 90's, so I drove up Mt. Graham, parked under a tree, and took a two-hour nap. It's amazing how well I can sleep when it's 51 degrees at 9,000 feet.
     To make the most of my trip, I decided to try to shoot at sunset. I got all set up, waited for sweet light that never materialized, and ended up not even making an exposure. Still, the whole trip was worth it for this one image.