The Cult of Sunset Worshippers

It starts about a half hour before sunset.  Droves of cars pour into Christmas Cove beach and jockey for the best viewing position.  During high summer, hardly a parking spot remains and first comers get the best picks.  Some folks stay in their cars to watch nature's spectacle, while others spread blankets on the beach.  In the winter months, sunset is a totally different situation.  Christmas Cove is blocked off so people can't drive down the steep path to the beach.  But, more significantly, with snow and clouds predominating the weather scene, there are fewer visible sunsets.  This past week we had a couple sunny days and I headed out to catch a sunset on one of them.

As I headed towards the beach, I noticed how the light cast a golden glow on everything, including this orchard.  No wonder the thirty minutes before and after sunrise and sunset are known as the Golden Hour.

I chose Peterson Park and the nearby N. Foxview Drive as my vantage points.  Thinking I'd probably be alone, I was surprised when one truck and then another drove into the park.  The people from one truck got out of their vehicle and played with their golden retriever while awaiting the sunset.  The other folks remained warm inside the second truck.

I could already tell the sunset was going to be lovely and enhanced by a narrow bank of clouds that wouldn't occlude the view.

When the sun sinks into the water, or behind North Manitou Island, as in this case, some folks think the show is over and begin to leave. 

This night, in contrast, all three viewers stayed to continue watching.  Experienced sunset worshippers know that the afterglow is often as radiant as the sunset itself.

And this night was no different.   As the peachy glow from the sunset...

...shimmered into a rosy blush over Fox Island, the two trucks fired up their engines and headed out.

I finally left too, but enjoyed the last glimmers of sunset splendor the whole way home.