Another Sunrise in New Mexico

Frequently, work starts before sunrise so there is an opportunity to watch the San Simon Valley landscape move from darkness to light as another days work at the Painted Pony Resort begins.  It is just a matter of stepping out the door to watch this change move over the landscape and it is always different.  While other New Mexican sunrises have been posted a particularly spectacular sunrise was captured the other week.  Although only about 9 miles wide at the Painted Pony Resort (7 miles wide at Rodeo) the San Simon Valley can display dramatically different characteristics from east to west across the valley.  On the west side of the valley a low lying fog bank, over 1000' thick, obscured the lower flanks of the Chiricahua mountains down to the valley floor, visually illustrating the concept of sky islands.  While the reverse view was the rising sun with only a hint of low lying fog in the San Simon river bed.  Low clouds illuminated by the rising sun combined with visible shafts of sunlight radiating outward made it a particularly memorable morning and illustrating this difference in weather that may be experienced within the confines of the valley.

The view west towards Portal Peak and the Chiricahua mountains

The reverse view of the sunrise through Antelope pass in the Peloncillo mountains