I wake from my slumber. The dawn of a new day. Roll out of bed and reach for my drug of choice. Grind, press, pour, sip. Ahhhh. Synapses fire. Eyes open a little wider. Sweet bitter nectar of the gods. Open the door for a weather check. A bank of low clouds so solid I might as well be a in a biodome. Damn weather man, where are my high puffy clouds.
I grab my gear and head out the door anyway. Got to be in it to win it. I turn on some music. Wake up music but not too awake music. Foot to gas, eyes on road, roll out. I get to that familiar place I feel so connected to and express gratitude for having a national park in my backyard.
As I ascend the long straight 14 mile climb I think about how it has been way too long since I've been on my bike. I remember how alive it made me feel. I observe my inner critic and judge giving me shit and tell him to quiet down.
I pass the normal spot usually packed with the light chasers and sunrise spectators and head to a new spot in search of something different. I see there is a crack on the horizon before the clouds and my heart beats a little faster. As I pull into the next overlook I see the cool blues of dawn turning to pink over the distant mountain ridge.
I spot a composition. A group of winter trees. I setup the shot and am still, waiting for the light and taking in the view of the ancient hills before me, some of the oldest mountains in the world. They remind me to be patient, a practice I'm still learning with photography.
The sun begins to show his face and the clouds catch fire like a torch being lite in the dark. And in that moment another composition catches my eye. A moment of hesitation as I know the fire is fleeting. You have time. Move, setup, focus, snap, run back. I catch the last radiant moment of morning glory at my original spot.
This is why I rise early and drive up mountains. This is why I withstand the cold and often hike long miles to get the good views. To capture these quick snippets of morning stillness mixed with the vibrancy of life force that is the sun. I take a few more moments to embrace the quiet morning stillness as the sun heads behind the clouds above. With the recharge of connected nature goodness I'm ready to face the day.