Burning SkyIt looked like the world was on fire!

Burning Sky

The day started with rounding up 500 cows out of Sulphur Springs just north of Sweet Water Ranch. This was the fourth day of a 60 mile cattle drive which started out from the Hunewill Ranch in Bridgeport, California. By 10 o’clock or so we had left Sulphur Springs way behind and started crossing the desert. It was an unusually warm winter day and the cows were moving slow. By mid afternoon we could start to see Smith Valley, Nevada approaching as the trees, hay stacks and ranch buildings started to appear. We would be bedding down the cows and horses for the night there and the sun would be setting by the time we reached grazing pastures for the night. It had been a long day and as we neared the pastures the cows got an extra burst of energy and took off running for the smell of fresh grass.This marked the end of day four. As I turned to head towards the horse pasture, where I would bed my horse down for the night, I saw this beautiful sunset beginning to develop. I wanted to capture the sky that appeared to be catching on fire but the sun was still too high and would overexpose any attempt to capture the burning sky and the foreground. I started riding back, keeping my eye on the sun, and noticed that as the sun was setting it was lining up behind some big Dogwood trees. My horse, “Jolena” stood perfectly still as I waited for the sun to drop just below the top of the trees and I took the shot. It is a sunset that you do not forget.…that is, until the Nevada skies develop even a greater one.