New Mexico Morning

Whenever I travel I try to plan it so I can photograph not only my destination but also places along the way. Last week I was in Canyonlands National Park. No matter how you slice it Moab, Utah is a two day drive for me. I left in the afternoon and made it to Tucumcari-like the billboards say-Tucumcari Tonight!

Being an early riser I figured I could be past Albuquerque by sunrise and as long as I did not miss any left turns there I should be in the open country on US 550 in the early morning (or Pismo Beach).

Sure enough, I did not miss any of those left turns and I was on 550 as the sun came up. It was a fantastic morning I had to make a couple of stops for images. Every time I see a view like this I understand why New Mexico is the Land of Enchantment.

That early start would not only get to to a neat area for sunrise, it also guaranteed that I would be in Canyonlands for sunset. So in addition to getting a sunrise location I was also set for a good sunset too.

Now that is how to start a trip!

Note-I wonder if anyone gets the left turn/Pismo Beach reference? :-)