Monday, December 9, 2013

Sunset Chaser: Sometimes You Win

As I swung out of the parking lot, heading toward home after a long batch of errands, my eyes beheld this sight.


Immediately, my heart began to beat fast and I felt a familiar surge of adrenaline that could only mean one thing:

Sunset chasing is on! 

A sunset chaser, in case you don't know, is one who spies a beautiful sunset-in-the-making and then drives/walks/runs frantically to one or more prime viewpoints in order to take a billion pictures of its beauty. Extra points are given for photos taken out the car window while in transit.

On this particular day, I knew I had little time to act. The sun was perilously close to the horizon and the gorgeous golden light reflected against the underbellies of the sweet pink clouds was just too precious to miss. Racking my mind for a place nearby where I could park my car and take in a full view of the sky, I realized there were no good options at hand. Since I was just ten minutes from my own neighborhood, where I have a few favorite viewing spots, I decided to gun it for home.

I toe-tapped my way through several long red lights, frustrated not only by the delays but also by the trees and buildings that obscured my sight of the sun. I couldn't even get any shots from the car. Ugh. 

Holding my breath, I spun into the light industrial complex and wove through the maze of buildings till I came to the far edge of the parking lot, which sits on a westward-facing ridge. I dumped my car in a nearby space, and dashed to the high point of the sidewalk.

And this is what I saw.


Sigh. The sun was gone, the pink clouds had turned dark purple and the glowing golden light had faded. Sure, this scene is still serenely beautiful, and the crescent moon is a nice touch, but it pales in comparison with what must have filled the sky just a few moments earlier.

Which just goes to show, in sunset chasing and in all of life, sometimes you win and sometimes you lose.

You just gotta keep on trying.

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Sunset chaser: A traveler who spies a gorgeous display on the evening horizon, and, throwing all other thoughts aside, pursues a prime viewing location from which to photograph the sky. 

I am a sunset chaser and here are just a few of the stories of my adventures:


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Ready for more sunset-chasing adventures? Read these:

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