Set phasers to STUNNING!

I was up at Black Canyon this afternoon, and though it was kind of a milky overcast sky, I saw what appeared to be an opening on the horizon, with only a few hours to go til sunset. So I headed up the Big Cimarron road towards Silverjack, in hopes of catching a great sunset over some of those incredible volcanic towers, all decked out in fresh snow. Well, the road was pretty decked out in snow, too, and at the 12-mile mark, aided by advice from a local ("You'll never make Silverjack" is a statement I can accept!), I headed back out, regaining the highway with only 30 minutes to spare. As you can tell, I was able to make it to Blue Mesa Reservoir, to a spot that would reflect this incredible sky, just in the nick of time.

Whoa! Todd you got a gift in this one! That sky is on fire! Gorgeous!

Very pretty! I'm not going to ask how fast you were driving...well within established limits for the conditions, I'm sure!

Sweet stuff Todd!! I hate that frantic feeling of a beautiful sunset is coming and I can't get where I want to shoot it. You got a keep though and what a beauty to behold!!

John

I can already see the magenta cartridfge in my printer going down with this one. Really nice.

RichieV

I don't know what "set phasers" means, but it is stunning color! I would have loved to see the driving performance required to get the shot.

It's a Star Trek take-off, as in "Set phasers to stun." And yes, pretty much every time I drive, it's quite a performance. Instead of applause, though, the other drivers usually just wave. With one finger.

Too bad you couldn't make it to Silverjack. Blue Mesa is nice, but I'd think SilverJack would be much nicer. Either way, there is some killer color in the sky (and water) on this shot.

Silverjack hmmm gotta remember that come this spring then. What kind of road is it? Is it a 4 wheel drive road or is it a well maintained road?

Big Cimarron Road to Silverjack Reservoir should only be attempted by skilled drivers in Cadillacs. Okay, so maybe I wouldn't take a Cadillac up there, but you probably could. It's excellent dirt road all the way, except it gets washboardy as you come over Owl Creek Pass and head down the Ridgway side.

Glad you had more luck with the sunset than me! Sweet shot.

Beautiful color on this. I had a similar sunset form here south of the San Juans, but I've been travelling all over the place lately and needed the day off. Good to see you got something out of it.

That is an awesome shot. I'd say that the the sunset was "giving you all she's got captain!"

Whoa! Sensor overload. Probably literally.

I call this phenomenon an edge-window. A crack on the horizon (sometimes visible, sometimes not) and nowhere else that allows the sun to briefly underlight clouds. A really powerful sky, Todd.

Great color!