Why does getting up just a half hour earlier than usual seem so difficult? I sure felt that way this morning as Jeff and I headed for Rocky Mountain National Park for some sunrise photos. Our first stop was Rainbow Curve along Trail Ridge Road. I chose this image from that location for my PaD because of the color of the sky and the mysterious darkness of the mountains. We spent most of the morning driving along Trail Ridge Road. There is a lot of snow up there still and the wind was blowing hard.

Light changes constantly during the day. I took several images of Longs Peak and wanted to show two more views taken within three hours of each other with different lighting and at different locations.

Longs Peak at 4:27 AM, what seemed like 100mph wind, near the top of Trail Ridge Road: http://www.pbase.com/mstevens/image/44183367

Longs Peak at 7:31 AM, with no wind and near Beaver Meadows: http://www.pbase.com/mstevens/image/44183369