March 15, 2021

The sky over Lake Mendota at 7:02 this morning — straight out of the iPhone, no color or light adjustments.

IMG_2989

IMG_2994 

All I did was level the horizon slightly. 

I was going to take this morning off from my usual sunrise run, but I could see the color developing very intensely and darted out at the last minute. Sunrise wasn't until 7:10, and by 7:10 the color was quite faded, into a sunrise that I'd have judged to be in the middling range of the sunrises I've seen since beginning my sunrise run series in September 2019. 

I got to my vantage point and got these pictures at 7:02, so you see it's crucial to get out at least 8 minutes before the sunrise time to catch the most vivid sunrises. I jumped up, grabbed my keys, and got my shoes on, and headed out. I had no time at all to spare, or I would not have caught this — the most beautiful of all the sunrises I have seen. 

It was more beautiful in real life. Sometimes the photos bump up the beauty of cloud colors that are too subtle to wow you in person. But this was way over the top. Not just for sunrise connoisseurs! 

I'll put up a little video for another look: 

80 comments:

exhelodrvr1 said...

Thanks for posting this!

brylun said...

What I've been telling the kids for years: "The early bird gets the worm."

Browndog said...

The blue ice in the foreground. Contrast in light and texture is...out of this world.

Wow.

brylun said...

Their response: "The second mouse gets the cheese."

pacwest said...

"It was more beautiful in real life."

Must have been a real beauty.

gilbar said...

nothing but clouds and snow, over here in Northeast iowa

Serious Question; WHY does the US Space Force have a Marine, as its highest ranking NCO?

Space Marines? Nope; i guess it's Spy Marines. But his Real Job seems to be
Attacking Civilians that wonder about sending Pregnant women into combat

Dave Begley said...

That's quite the statement by Ann Althouse. The single best sunrise since September 2019.

Birches said...

Spectacular

Breezy said...

Sometimes nature seems to say “Hold my beer!”

Stunning sunrise! I love the contrast of the ice in the foreground too. Nice composition.

Unknown said...

Insanely beautiful and breathtaking. Thanks for sharing.

Tommy Duncan said...

Sailor take warning.

Temujin said...

Beeyueteeful.

michaele said...

Just spectacular...at least for a few minutes while taking in such glorious color, all seems right with the world.

Tommy Duncan said...

Weather for Zip Code 53701:

Snow, mainly after 1pm. High near 34. East wind around 15 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 90%. Total daytime snow accumulation of 1 to 3 inches possible.

MadisonMan said...

I was out at o'dark thirty for a walk, and saw the pinkening of the eastern horizon, and was wondering just how awesome the red would become. Glad to see what happened.

Shouting Thomas said...

Love Althouse’s photos.

I want to say again that I appreciate the prof’s determined defense of free speech.

She even puts up with me and she finds many of my opinions odious and reprehensible.

JZ said...

You keep taking those pictures. I'll keep looking.

NorthOfTheOneOhOne said...

One of the perks of living in Arizona, we get something similar nearly every morning and evening.

Mikey NTH said...

Looks like a late 1970's album cover.

MadisonMan said...

I will say that the wind and the rawness this morning made a compelling argument to stay under the blankets in bed. Dogs don't care about that argument however.

gilbar said...

oh, by the Way; This is the definition of: Red Sky at Morning, Sailors take warning
The far eastern sky is still open, with the sun shooting up and lighting up the clouds from underneath. Enjoy your snow!

Nonapod said...

Yeah, that's easily the most impressive one you've posted that I can recall.

Iman said...

Blogger Mikey NTH said...
Looks like a late 1970's album cover.


Colors remind me of Cream’s ‘67 release, Disraeli Gears. Beautiful pics!

sterlingblue said...

+1 ST.

Althouse, thank you for sharing this photo and video, and brightening the days of all of your readers.

BarrySanders20 said...

Yes, all of the above. Great photos. Thanks for hurrying!

etbass said...

Catching the stacked up ice in the foreground adds another dimension to the shot. Like looking through from beyond a mountain range.

Original Mike said...

"Enjoy your snow!"

I think we will. Winter's last gasp is fun.

The Crack Emcee said...

Mighty pretty.

Iman said...

Wide Angle Photography

Inga said...

I thought yesterday’s sunrise was the best one, but today’s sunrise put yesterday’s to shame. Such breathtaking beauty! Thanks for being there.

Friendo said...

unreal! Thanks, Prof.

Whiskeybum said...

I saw this same sight from my east-facing picture window about 5 minutes before you (~80 miles east of you).

Churchy LaFemme: said...

You ought to do a book of 365 sunrises and what you blogged about that day under each sunrise..

Shouting Thomas said...

@Inga the Idiot

I didn’t realize when we were discussing Carlson’s remarks about the marines that those marine officers attacking him in uniform while they were on duty were violating the law and their oath of office.

You are so damned stupid and you have no respect for the law.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

WOW doesn't even begin. Holy Moly!

Ray Fowler said...

Wow, that is amazing! Thank you for sharing!

Shouting Thomas said...

Interestingly, Althouse’s post about George Floyd was posted to Instapundit this morning.

And, greeted with another kind of stupidity... idiots calling out Althouse for banning the n-word.

This, of course, is essential to the survival of this blog and its comments section. I don’t like it. I think name calling should be entirely an equal opportunity game.

But, that is not the current political reality.

Greg The Class Traitor said...

Those are gorgeous pictures.

Congratulations on some great shots, and thank you for sharing them

mockturtle said...

Spectacular! But you're in for a storm, methinks.

Jeff Brokaw said...

Incredible photos! It's really cool to see that pop up when I open your blog.

Yes, the time just before sunrise and just after sunset are usually the most colorful and dramatic -- when the sun is below the horizon, it's not visible but is still shining on the sky above, so the brightness (that washes out colors when above the horizon) is not present. Darker is always more dramatic, and also IIRC there are light wavelength changes that make the red more prominent (red light has a longer wavelength and bends over the curvature of the earth easier?). Going from memory here, YMMV, my $.02, etc.

Howard said...

The almighty creator makes a powerful sunrise.

Owen said...

That sunrise needs to be reproduced on velvet and hung on your wall. ;-)

Seriously, though, it is absolutely stunning. Thanks!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

All runways at DIA closed, Pena Boulevard "impassable'

We are buried in white stuff... it looks like snow, but it's not. It's concrete.

Big Mike said...

Are you and Meade sailors? Did you take warning?

Original Mike said...

"All runways at DIA closed, Pena Boulevard "impassable'"

I do miss actual news. I used to know what was going on in the world.

BudBrown said...

The greats are outliers? Does it fit in the 10 types scheme? It's a 5! It's a 5! Or maybe a 4!

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Original Mike,
I know. I don't watch news on TV at all anymore. Local or national. I stopped the local paper delivery some time back. This is what happens when news becomes a combination of baby-sitting nanny-ism and a one-party promotional platform. I seek news out by going to individual web-sites. One of the local news stations has an amazing national weather radar page.

**I forgot about the daylight savings time jump. No News to remind me. gah - I detest spring forward. Fall back and stay back.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Ann -
the sky is amazing but I like how you captured the purple ice in the 2nd photo.
thanks for jumping out of your warm house to share this with us.

Churchy LaFemme: said...

I say Spring Forward, and then Fall Forward: Double Daylight time for the dark months!

Freeman Hunt said...

Wow! That's pretty incredible. I enjoy the variety of sunrise pics documented on the blog.

Original Mike said...

"This is what happens when news becomes a combination of baby-sitting nanny-ism and a one-party promotional platform."

Yep, the sky-screamers ruined it,

Original Mike said...

"i say Spring Forward, and then Fall Forward: Double Daylight time for the dark months!"

Hell, why not just swap day and night?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

The problem with attempting to manipulate how much light is captured during wake daylight hours - you can only go so far using the clock.
It's about where the earth is in outer space as it orbits the sun, and the tilt of the earth.

I don't need it to be light out at 9:00 PM in the summer. 8:00PM is fine and dandy.
I want to pick a time and stick with it and I prefer Mountain Standard Time.
"Daylight Savings Time" sounds like something Nancy Pelosi would sell.

Michael K said...

The LA Times front page with no mention of the riots last night.

Why would anyone want to be so passive about being kept in the dark and fed bullshit ?

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Spring back and fall back even more. Sleep baby... in darkness.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Michael K

Example of the gargae you can fed yourself:

"Column One: In California’s deep-red ‘North State,’ a one-woman watchdog torments the alt right"

This is how the left see themselves now. They are watchdogs - Nazi Watchdogs.

Skeptical Voter said...

A friend who lives in Western Virginia just east of the Blue Ridge foothills sent me a similar camera shot of his sunrise this morning. In some parts of the USA it's the start of a great day--raining here in Los Angeles though.

Bruce Hayden said...

“All runways at DIA closed, Pena Boulevard "impassable'

“We are buried in white stuff... it looks like snow, but it's not. It's concrete.”

That is the problem with March blizzards in the Front Range. Have fond memories of one such a bit over a decade ago. Next brother does not. The Eisenhower tunnel was closed. I was on the west side, and skied nice powder every day. Two brothers lived in the mountains just west of Denver. Both spent the blizzard shoveling. A lot. Next brother is still the real skier in the family, still ski racing as he approaches 70. I sent him pictures of the skiing, of course. He has a porch over his garage, and had to shovel it maybe every couple hours, around the click, to keep it from collapsing. That much snow depth in January wouldn’t have been an issue. He would have just gone skiing. But the snow gets so heavy in March that he has to worry about the structural integrity of his garage. Good opportunity to call him, check on his shoveling, and thank him for getting corporate taxes filed for the family company.

Clyde said...

Very nice!

Laslo Spatula said...

Almost TOO much color.

I am Laslo.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Bruce H -
March is our snowiest month! after a really dry winter - the snow is a celebration for places like Estes Park. Last summer fire licked both sides of that poor town. Fires started by Covid campers, more than likely.

My back... my arms... I'm crippled from yesterday's futile attempts at concrete management. The good news is, in an emergency - I can back-out of the drive and move 12 feet.

JPS said...

Just spectacular. Thanks for posting these.

tcrosse said...

Bride that wears white
Sailor's delight.

Yancey Ward said...

"Don't know if I'm coming up or down
Am I happy or in misery?"

MayBee said...

Beautiful! I love your excitement in the post.

Mike (MJB Wolf) said...

Nice work Althouse. I like a good sky photo and yours are very good indeed.

Owen said...

Bruce Hayden @ 10:33: "...March blizzards..." Agree that the glop is heavier east of Summit County. Will there be avalanches off this stuff?

Quaestor said...

The blue ice in the foreground.

Blue ice?

Those are chunks of uncut amethyst.

WWIII Joe Biden, Husk-Puppet + America's Putin said...

Bruce H.
Why I detest most ignorant out-of-state visitors.
Stay in Massachusetts, New Jersey & NY, thank you.

I have family in Northern CO and they camp in the mountains in Northern CO in the summer. I have a photo of the Little Laramie River in my kitchen that my dear cousin's daughter captured. A lush green river scene with flowers hugging the banks... It's probably burnt to a crisp now - because that same area was burned in the Cameron Peak Fire - our states largest fire. The fire was stated by humans. err morons.

Mid-Life Lawyer said...

Those are awesome! Can a white person say that another white person did something awesome without promoting white supemacy? Oh what the hell! I've always lived on the edge.

Tomcc said...

Absolutely beautiful, thank you. I have an iPhone 11, which I purchased (in part) because I'd read that the camera was pretty good. Once in a while, when we get a good sunset, I'll take a photo. It doesn't seem to capture the colors as I see them with my naked eye.

Yancey Ward said...

I have resisted the smart phone craze. I have what is considered today's flip phone- the one that slides open to give a keypad, and it doesn't have internet, and has only a rudimentary camera. I don't even take it anywhere with me unless I am specifically expecting a call or important text. Its biggest use for me is as an occasional alarm clock and watch to tell me what time it is when I am in bed.

However, Althouse's spectacular photos have me envious of the photo and video capabilities. A thing like that would have been considered miraculous just 20 years ago.

mezzrow said...

Ad from God.

So magnificent, you can only laugh in reaction. Down here, it was really clear, but we got some contrails from what I think was some navy guys. They had the same shade of red fading to orange fading to white.

Our Sun is a trickster.

mezzrow said...

Right now down here, it's all about the azaleas under the rain of falling leaves. They are so beautiful this year, one is rendered speechless by the masses of pink and white everywhere.

stevew said...

iPhones, and perhaps other high end smart phones, have evolved to that of mid to high end camera and internet browsing device. I don't know the number but suspect that the percentage of folks that purchase them for their phone capabilities is quite low.

I love the photos I get with my iPhone. Have always been interested in photography but never wanted to lug around a good quality camera. The iPhone has made photo taking and documenting some of the wonderful things I see totally accessible.

Original Mike said...

In preparation for digitizing my 35mm slide collection, I've been doing a deep dive on spatial resolution. In the process, I've been trying to determine what the camera sensor in my 11-inch iPad Pro is. In particular, I want to know its physical dimensions. I can't find it. Anybody know or know where to search?

mockturtle said...

BFTP, etc observes:Fires started by Covid campers, more than likely.

As a long-time camper, I have noticed that the 'new campers' created by COVID, have no clue about fires, bears or basic campground manners. I'd like to think they'll go back to Disneyland or wherever when this is done but, since they all bought RVs now... :-(

Bruce Hayden said...

“ Bruce Hayden @ 10:33: "...March blizzards..." Agree that the glop is heavier east of Summit County. Will there be avalanches off this stuff?”

Less likely, but more likely fatal. Thick heavy snow tends to slide as slabs, if it slides at all. Big slabs, weighing tons. They can ram you into trees at 70 mph, and you are likely to be ground to a pulp if you end up under one. The less likely part is that, very often, slab avalanches are harder to start, and they thus have to start on steeper slopes. One of the things that avalanche experts look at, esp in the spring, is whether there is a crystallized layer (formed by freezing and thawing) below the surface, which can act as ball bearings for slabs. One of the things that you learn in an avalanche class is how to dig an avalanche pit that can be used to check for this. (You do have your avalanche shovel don’t you if in the back country).

Most of my skiing friends from high school were caught at some point in small avalanches in their early to mid twenties. Luckily, no fatalities. My next brother started a small one, that he was able to ride out, on the 4th of July, on Quandary Peak, by Breckenridge. One of the reasons that you are less likely to get wiped by an avalanche, as you get older is that you become progressively more paranoid and knowledgeable about them. My kid turns thirty this year, and is hopefully now beyond the most dangerous phase. They, their fiancé, and their back country skiing friends, have all the necessary equipment (shovels, beacons, probe poles, etc), and indeed, no longer engaging in such, i bequeathed mine to them a couple years ago. Plus, they have taken classes, where they learned about avalanches (put on by the Colorado Mtn Club). I contrast this with what we were doing in our early twenties - no avalanche equipment, skiing open slopes, etc.

I would not be the least surprised if the people who track avalanches declared there to be high, and maybe even extreme, danger in the Central Rockies, with this storm.

Bruce Hayden said...

“ A lush green river scene with flowers hugging the banks... It's probably burnt to a crisp now - because that same area was burned in the Cameron Peak Fire - our states largest fire. The fire was stated by humans. err morons.”

I lived in Fort Collins throughout most of the 1980s, and we back country skied around Cameron Pass, right by that area, quite a bit. I was used to the central Rockies, west out of Denver, and the Cameron Pass area was pretty low and tame. Much more like what we have around us now in NW MT. Still, it was good because it got us outside in the snow and was never crowded (that was 30 years ago). Some summer camping too.

“ March is our snowiest month! after a really dry winter - the snow is a celebration for places like Estes Park. Last summer fire licked both sides of that poor town. Fires started by Covid campers, more than likely.”

Long had a kinda love/hate with Estes Park. My grandparents worked summers (they were educators in Denver, so had summers off) at the YMCA camp there in the 1920s and 1930s. That is where they learned to love the summer camp experience, starting their own camp SW of Denver in the latter 1940s, and running it until they couldn’t. The five of us boys, along with my kid, all attended summer camp just S of Estes, from age 8-10 until maybe 15-16 (my kid went back at 17 as a Jr Counselor). I Expect to send any grandkids I have there too. Things changed a lot in the 40 years between when i attended, and my kid did - mostly due to Rocky Mountain National Park turning into an absolute zoo. We used to do a lot of our riding and almost all of our hiking and climbing in the Park. Some of the latter when my kid was there, but none of the former. And much less overnight camping.

The hate part is that the town is even more of a zoo than the Park is in the summer. I love Trail Ridge Road - except when the traffic is bumper to bumper, which it is now much of the summer. Fort Collins is close, which was nice. Used to start in FC, head to Estes, up over Trail Ridge, to Grand Lake, down to US 40, over to Kremling and up CO 9 to Summit County, where we had a place, a couple times a year. Loved the drive. Last time I tried it the traffic over Trail Ridge was so bad, that I said never again.

Bruce Hayden said...

I should add that those drives from Fort Collins through Estes, up over Trail Ridge, ultimately to Summit County, were in the RX-7 I had at the time. That meant that, at times, I may have driven it too fast. Or at least exceeded the ridiculous posted speed limits by a bit. We cranked open the sun roof, and would drink a six pack of Guinness on the drive. Great memories. Or at least for us. Maybe not as much for the tourists that we terrorized on the way over Trail Ridge.