I’m a morning person.  I’ll always favor the early hours of day.  The way that I feel physically:  loose, energized, strong.  The way I feel mentally:  fresh, hopeful, optimistic, a sea of possibility.  I’m relaxed but I’m also primed.  The new day is another chance–to be better, to do something new, to find or deepen a connection or to experience success/failure, or to perhaps find a new thread of interest to pull on.  In those dark hours before the sun begins to dance with and paint the landscape, it’s all possible.  The story is unwritten.  There’s only anticipation.

On this morning, I didn’t have any plan.  No location to be, no ideas to exercise or subjects in need of exploration.  I pulled into this popular overlook, shut down the truck, and just stood in front of the view with no expectations.  Predawn was absolutely without interest.  Clear, calm and dare I say it, boring.  Something in the atmosphere hit critical mass right as the sun poked over the horizon peaks.  Mist and low fog–a temperature or cloud inversion–developed within the deep forested valley below.  Typically, the sun burns this off quickly.  On this morning, the sun and the inverted cloud just hung and interacted with the other.  For hours.  Right place right time, I guess.  Beautiful.

Camera:  Nikon D850
Lens:  Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 @200mm
Tripod:  Really Right Stuff TVC-33

Date taken:  May 21, 2024
Settings:  f11, 1/160 second, iso 125