Burning Horizon

Probably the best part about living in West Texas is the amazing fire the sun creates as it sets on the western horizon each evening. Sunrises are pretty, too, but I usually only see those if I am able to drag myself out of bed in the morning to go run. It can be easy to look past the day's crazy, ridiculous winds, or even the 102 degree heat when the day ends with a visual explosion of color to the west. In the waining hours leading up to the sunset, the light cast on the red dirt and golden prairie grass of the Llano Estacado is enough to capture your gaze until the sun slips away.


This is my favorite time of day.


There's something about the flat, parallel horizon that makes the sky bigger out here. I fly a lot for my job, but when I get the chance to drive somewhere, particularly north to Amarillo or further up into the Panhandle, I enjoy the view at this time of day.




When you drop off the caprock, or the "cap" as the locals call it, you enter a terrain of rugged canyons, Yucca plants, mesquite and dramatic western landscapes.



But, you don't have to live in West Texas to see magnificent sunsets. The cold January skies in the Ozarks can hold their own.