Camping in the Colorado high country is almost always a treat but having your alarm go off at 2:30am at a time when the wind is howling and the temperatures are pushing down toward freezing is not exactly ideal. Nevertheless, I heeded the beeping and got dressed (with long underwear!) and headed out to capture some pictures of the stars.
Smoke from a wildfire on the Western Slope of the state coupled with dust from the strong winds created a bit of a haze in the atmosphere limiting my ability to get a great shot of the lights above. Nevertheless, the pictures came out pretty well.
In this image you see millions of stars, a haze-obscured Milky Way galaxy, and a meteor streaking in from the top right of the frame. Down below, the faintly lit Rocky Mountains with Mount Audubon being the prominent peak.
After about a half hour of snapping pictures the wind and cold had chilled me to the bone so I very quickly made a retreat back to camp for some more rest before the sunrise and the next photo opportunity came along.
