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Photo Spotlight: Sangre de Cristo Sunsets

Recent Snow on Sangre de Cristo by Johnny Ainsworth©2019
We returned from our Colorado trip to visit my brother Monday night.

He lives in a solar home at an elevation of 8,600+ feet. His main solar panels are huge, and he has small individual ones on various pieces of equipment.

The battery storage array is impressive.

He loves it in southern Colorado where he can stand on his deck and look across the valley to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains.

The peaks on those mountains are 13,000 to 14,000+ feet—higher than the better known Pikes Peak. Around mid-June, he called to say he was standing on his deck and watching it snow on the mountains. He took the picture above and texted it to me.

Origin of the Name

In 1719 the Spanish explorer Antonio Valverde y Cosio named the mountain range Sangre de Cristo, meaning "Blood of Christ" because of the reddish hue of the snow-covered peaks at sunrise, called alpenglow. The red hue is even more prominent at sunset.

To see the names of the various peaks—all of which the locals can tell you—click here.

Sangre de Cristo Winter Sunset by Johnny Ainsworth©2017
The winter sunsets are just as impressive as seen in this photo taken a couple of winters ago.

We spent several evenings on the deck, doing nothing but watching the sun set behind the mountains.

As the sun sank below the moutain range, it colored the peaks a brilliant red and streaked the sky with bands of turquoise and pink and gold.

Absolutely beautiful.

Sangre de Cristo, July Sunset by Johnny Ainsworth©2019
Takeaway Truth

If you have a chance to go to southern Colorado, don't hesitate.

It's peaceful and beautiful, and you won't see better sunrises and sunsets anywhere.

It's the perfect place to let your imagination roam free, and that's something we authors need.

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