The Day I Thought The Sun Was Setting South of Grand Junction

Call me crazy, but the other day I could have sworn the sun was setting in Grand Junction's southern sky.

It Doesn't Make Sense

I know it doesn't seem to make a lot of sense. Are you kidding me? The sun setting in the south? Seriously??

But, wait! Before you dismiss me as some crazy guy on the radio who doesn't know west from south, or east from north, please allow me to explain.

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We Love Colorado Sunsets

My wife and I were driving on Interstate 70 near Horizon Drive. (actually, we weren't both driving, she was doing the driving) We were admiring a beautiful sunset over the Colorado National Monument. It's just one of the things we do here in western Colorado - a lot.

But, then my gaze fell to the south where a bright spot in the sky caught my eye. What? It can't be the sun going down over there. But, the clouds were being illuminated so beautifully, I had to take a second look. These photos were taken within moments of each other from two completely different directions.

Clouds Reflecting the Sun

Now, we've all seen those nights where the sun is setting and reflecting so beautifully off the Bookcliffs and Mt. Garfield. It always looks amazing! Well,  it looks like what we are getting here is a similar phenomenon, only the sun is reflecting off the clouds. It's something you would expect to see in the western sky, not in a southern sky.

But, I thought it was pretty cool, and while the phone photo doesn't really do it justice, it at least gives you a little idea of what I was seeing in the sky, and how it kind of looked like the sun was setting in the south.