Sunset

Thank you all for your wonderful comments, stars and favorites for my September 24 photo of Lake MacDonald.  I must say I can't take any credit because it is far more magnificent that I was able to capture.   
What a difference a few days make.  

My previous shot was during the late afternoon and the a day or two after it had snowed at the higher elevations.  The following days were warmer with little precipitation.  It was obviously warm enough to melt the snow that was on the high peaks.  

I finished my project for my client and decided to take a drive back up to the park and get a sunset shot.  There was not a cloud in sight so I wasn't sure if the sunset photo would be very nice. I was surprised to see the snow had melted off the peaks.  But there was still some diffused smoke in the air and the changing light from sunset to twilight brought on this lovely glow.  Even with the fires still burning, It was breathtaking.  So, I tried to give you the view of the main peaks at sunset.  

After taking a few photos, I decided to just stay in hotel close by for the night.  I woke to rain and dark clouds, and feeling a bit like the weather. I was just plain tired.  I loaded up and headed west.  I wanted to relax and decided not to push it too far, and made it about 200 miles before I was just worn out.  I pulled into a hotel for the night, grabbed a late lunch at a local establishment, then laid down for a nap at around 4 in the afternoon.  I woke up this morning, surprised to find myself still in my clothes realizing that I had slept the entire night.  And I realized I was still really tired.  So, I made the decision to stay put another day and just try and rest and regain my energy before pushing on to my next job.