The bad news is that for every image I have been able to capture, there have been three or four extraordinary images that I was not able to shoot, because these wonderfully scenic winding roads do not have space to pull off the road! <\/p>\n
When you drive on Route 53, for example, you need both hands on the wheel and both eyes on the road. You are generally driving at 20-45 miles an hour on a road with no shoulders. Even a moment’s distraction can put you in a ditch or into a tree. There are too many trees marked with crosses to commemorate the deaths of drivers who were careless.<\/p>\n
The other night on Route 53, I glanced out over a field and saw a sunset like nothing I’ve seen before. The dark blue-violet sky was entirely clear except for a single brilliant red-orange cloud with incandescent edges. This glowing smudge of fire hung just above the horizon and was lit from below by the already vanished sun.<\/p>\n
I looked desperately for a turnoff or a place to stop, but I was in a line of traffic and the road was bordered by huge fields with no gates or driveways. I drove another three miles through patches of forest before I could find another place with a view of the horizon.<\/p>\n
I pulled into somebody’s driveway and scrambled out of the car with camera in hand. I ran down beside their garage to a place where I could see the last few moments of this sunset spectacle. I was able to take only a few shots before the light disappeared entirely. <\/p>\n
This picture provides a mere hint of the earlier splendor. I am showing it here to remind myself that in opportunistic photography, preparedness and speed are essential.
\n![\"sky-fire74.JPG\"](\"http:\/\/ripples.typepad.com\/ripples\/sky-fire74.JPG\")
\nFew among us have the determination to emulate Ansel Adams and place ourselves at a time and place to capture the exact moment when light from the sky strikes an object in just the right way. <\/p>\n
Fortunately, there are those like Marie<\/a>, Fletch<\/a>, Ana<\/a>, and Fred<\/a> who do a much better job than I. Also Nicole<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" This area of Virginia has beautiful serpentine roads with inspiring vistas at almost every turn. This is an inevitable opportunity for a good news\/bad news story.<\/p>\n The good news is these Virginia byways provide a wealth of attention-grabbing images for the photographically inclined. <\/p>\n