My wife, Susan, and I love sunsets.

We love to watch the sunset, and we love to photograph the sunset.  We have photographed sunsets from Isle au Haut in Acadia, to Glacier Bay N.P. in Alaska; from the eastern tip of St. Croix to the westernmost shore of Kauai.  We have taken pictures of beach sunsets from Galveston, Carlsbad, Carmel, Half Moon Bay, Whidbey Island, Washington, Seward, and Juneau, Alaska, Maui and Kauai, Hawaii.  We have seen the sunset from Sedona, Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, Cedar Break, Monument Valley, Valley of the Gods, Capitol Reef, Great Basin and more.  We have watched the sunset over Lake Powell, Waterton Lake in Canada, McDonald, Kintla and Bowman Lakes in Montana, and a host of places I can’t recall.

But most times, what makes a sunset special is who you are with, what you are doing, and whether it is the reason for being there, or just a wonderful surprise.  My best sunset picture, and favorite sunset of all time, was at Gold Butte.  Susan and I had driven out to Whitney Pocket for the first time.  We set up our tent, built our campfire, cooked our dinner, and relaxed in our camp chairs.  Suddenly, there it was in front of us.  It was magical, and we were in awe.  The picture is good, the memory is spectacular.

I have since learned that Gold Butte is a prime place for watching the sun as it sets.  The rock formations, the vistas, the surrounding layers of mountains, even the desert plants, combine for a perfect setting.  Something in the atmosphere creates just the right light.  Some of my best sunsets are from Gold Butte.  Of course, there is a price to pay.  Once you have seen the sun go down, you either have to drive Gold Butte Road home in the dark, or camp out.  We will always vote to camp out.  After all, we love sunrises too!