Sometimes You Land In Between

Cumulus cloud over desert mountain range bathed in breaking light from a storm near the California-Nevada Border. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

Cumulus cloud over desert mountain range bathed in breaking light from a storm near the California-Nevada Border. (Greg A. Lato / latogaphoto.com)

We’ve all had photos that were the result of the universe putting us in the right spot at the right time. This photo is a close runner up in that category.

I was meandering my way through the Mojave desert heading toward Las Vegas and kept playing tag with sporadic rain storms.  Which made for a great day of photography with the wonderful breaking light from the passing storm clouds.  I was finally making my way over toward I-15 for the final drive into Las Vegas and had two routes: one which cut over to the Interstate sooner, and one that would have me merge onto the interstate right before the California-Nevada state line.

I chose the first route.  I chose wrong.

For those who have never done this drive, I-15 climbs up a mountain range and then starts a 10-15 mile descent down to Primm Nevada which is just across the border. My chosen route put me on the interstate well before said mountain range.  The route not chosen would have put me on the interstate right at the summit of that mountain range.

As I crested the summit of that mountain range on I-15, this wonderful breaking light on the next mountain range and huge Cumulus cloud greeted me off in the distance (photo above).  Off to the left of the mountain range was Primm, NV (first town in Nevada and essentially a small oasis of casino high rises in the middle of the desert) bathed in breaking light with darkness all around it.  And I just drove past the summit which provided the best vantage point to photograph the scene; the next exit was something like 10 miles away and about 1500 feet below me.

There was no way I was going to be able to descend the summit, turn around, and drive back up and still have the same light.  So,  I pulled off at that next exit and was able to come home with the photograph above.

You win some.  You lose some.  Sometimes you land in between.

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