Red Sky at Dawn

"Red sky at morning, sailor's warning." Typically, here in the central Rockies, deep red sunrises and sunset are not harbingers of weather, fair or foul. They reflect smoke in the atmosphere. Distant volcanic eruptions will color the sky after a day or two. Most often, the glorious reds come from fire. Local controlled burns, larger fires anywhere in Colorado, or since the prevailing winds blow West to East, huge fires in Utah, California or Washington color our dawns and dusks.

This particular red sky seemed anomalous. No major fires. No volcanoes. No severe weather. Just a spectacular sunrise. As the red faded to the east, the snowy peaks to the west glowed cotton-candy pink until the sun cleared the horizon. Every once in a while, even a night owl like myself revels in the dawn.

Aveline