Day 31 – Where is the Best Place to Watch the Sunset Near You?

note: this is part of #bloganuary where each day in the month of January, there is a prompt that we can write on.

Well, I did it. Except for the day the internet went out, (which I am not counting) I have posted every day, on the day and completed the challenge I made to myself, and to all of you, 31 days ago. I do appreciate each of you taking the time to read and comment on my posts. I will be using the next few weeks to go through and explore other posts that I just did not have the time to dedicate to.

I will begin with the best places that I have watched the sunset anywhere. Here in North Ohio, we have trees and a lot of them. The different seasons provide us with so much beauty as the leaves come and go and change color throughout the year. The fall foliage here is truly amazing, reds, golds, browns, yellows; a painters palette of colors.

Having said all that and making those of you without foliage a bit jealous, I will return to sunsets near me towards the end.

A few months ago, I was working in the north west part of the state about 90 minutes away. It was near a large body of water with views for hundreds of miles. The sunsets there were vast. One of the really neat side effects of being near a large body of water with dramatically different seasons, is the way the different cloud formations reflects the sun as it fades into the western sky. It is one of the spectacular benefits of living here; the sky never looks the same twice and it changes as you approach the Great Lakes.

Earlier this year, we traveled to California, near Los Angeles, for a birthday celebration. The home we stayed at was in Santa Anna where we had to travel up a pretty steep road to get to the home. Being so close to the ocean and elevated as we were, the sunsets were pretty spectacular there as well. But still not the best and certainly a long way from home.

I asked Dawn about this today as well to get her opinion and we both agreed on this sunset. Several years ago we traveled to las Vegas to take in the Fourth of July festivities. When we arrived we rented a car and headed out of the Grand Canyon to see the sights before returning to our digs in Sin City. I had never been, but Dawn had many years before so it was a good time to take this in together.

Side note: if you have followed, you already know that I like to drive and am not afraid to drive fast. You would think that being near the desert, and traveling on highways with basically no speed limits would have been heaven. On the contrary, it was not that fun. See, I rented a nice little SUV, emphasis on little, with a tiny engine. Dear god, I had my foot pegged to the floor and still cars were passing us like nothing. We passed a cop and he may have been laughing at how “slow” we were going. I am surprised I did not blow the damn thing up. Next time, we rent a convertible sports car with a big engine. When that happens, I will have to share driving with the boss. She likes to get her foot into it as well.

Now, back you your regularly scheduled blog post:

Folks, the colors of the Grand Canyon are truly spectacular and unless you have a very good camera, it is impossible to capture them as they appear to the naked eye. Our plan was to head out and stay somewhere near Hoover Dam as we were going to visit there the next day. Those plans changed once we saw the canyon in person. It will also not surprise those that follow me that we did not go to the “touristy” spot. Oh no, we traveled several hours to the other end, and we are glad we did. We were able to free climb to several spots that were not really “safe” and did not have “normal” ways of getting there. We found the last hotel room available and stayed to watch the sunset. The picture above is not even close to capturing the beauty that is available to take in. What made this even more spectacular was that there was a storm on the other side of the Canyon. It provided visitors a visual context of the vast expanse in front of us and why this is one of the seven natural wonders of the world. We were warm and dry on one side while the other side provided us with dramatic cloud formations and impressive lightning that lit up the distant sky. The various colors of the different layers of exposed earth seemed to change depending on the suns reflection as it was sinking out of view. Not to be left out, the lack of artificial light also provided us with a very clear view of the galaxy above. We were told the sunrises were also not to be missed and got up very early to see that as well. Same earth layers but different hues once again. The Grand Canyon is where we have experienced the best sunsets ever.

But still, that does not answer the question. Where is the best place near me?

There is an old golf course near us that is used as a nature preserve and fitness area now. The elevations there take you far above the trees where you can view the sunset for longer. And while that is near me, still not the best place near me.

Despite being at the Grand Canyon, California, and on cruise ships, the best place to watch the sunset near me is, in the back yard of Thompsonville with Dawn. There is no better view than being there, with her by my side. Where, no matter what direction my eyes travel, up or down to my side, I am surrounded, amazed, and grateful for the beauty that am able to take in at that very moment.

May y’all be happy, healthy, and safe.

t.t.