Living in a major metropolitan area like Denver can make it hard to escape the trappings of modern life. Thankfully though, cities and counties in Colorado do a pretty good job managing the growth and offer areas of escape.

This particular open space is about five minutes from my house and one of my favorites. Setting out for a walk within it sees the sights and sounds of suburbia begin to disappear and provide a much-needed respite from civilization.

Last Sunday I took advantage of this spot and sat on the shoreline of this pond soaking in the pastel colored sunrise. Lately the world is moving quickly and in troubling ways and times like this I value these spots more than ever. Do yourself a favor and get out and take advantage of similar locations! It does a mind and body good!

Taken a couple of weeks ago, I was almost to my photo destination and could see the sunrise was going to be a great one. Unfortunately, fates conspired against me and I arrived about five minutes after the main show.

As a consolation though, I did get this nice capture of the show as things began to fade. Unfortunately there was just enough of a ripple on the water to prevent a perfect reflection but it still looked nice.

A chilly morning but not so much so to make it uncomfortable out there. Not long before this, the sun helped color the clouds in red for a decent show. I lingered though, waiting for the sun to burst over the horizon. As it did, its warming light lit up the reeds in front of me and above were beautiful clouds. Well, worth hanging out for!

We sure know how to put on a show to start the days here on the plains of Colorado. It really is a treat to be able to take in scenes like this sunrise more often than not. On this day, the temperatures were a cold 20 degrees as I made my way down to the shore of the lake. I sat there for a half hour, cold for sure, but also distracted from it by the show unfolding to the east. Just beautiful!

Another fine example of why sunrises on the Great Plains absolutely rock.

Before the sun popped over the horizon, I was blessed with a very colorful display, an image which I shared last week. As the sun continued its rise, it started to show itself and the display changed but was just as beautiful. The starburst across the lake was awesome and those beautiful, blue Colorado skies were amazing.

I took a short road trip this past weekend to Jackson Lake State Park. Knowing full well sunrise is almost always the best show of the day, I arrived when it was still dark then picked a spot along the lake’s shoreline and waited.

It was beautifully peaceful with stars above and only the sounds of birds and the water lapping on the shore. Soon, as the sun approached the horizon the colors began to show and it wasn’t long before I was reminded just why I was there. Yup, well worth the drive.

I am always raving about the amazing sunrises we see here on the Colorado plains. More often than not, they are impressive.

This past Saturday morning, I could tell the show was going to be a good one so I headed to one of my favorite sunrise spots at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge near Denver, Colorado. It was a beautiful, long-lasting show.

At the start, the horizon glowed orange and above, the clouds were red and accented by purple and blue behind them. Throw in the ice on the half-frozen lake below and the glow on it and, well, it was pretty darned nice.