Sunset at Warbler Vista

I did a little hiking at the Warbler Vista area of Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge. I don’t usually come to this area as it doesn’t have as many trails as the Doeskin Ranch area, but it does have some nice overlooks.

It was a cloudy day, but I hung around until after sunset anyway to see what would happen. I never did see the sun but after it set, an orange glow began to appear in the west. I shot the following image down low near some flowers along the hillside.

For a few minutes the sky lit up with orange streaks. I couldn’t see where the light was coming from but it found a path to the high clouds.

The next image is an HDR merge where as the one above is a single exposure. It is really hard to get the colors the same in the HDR image, but I worked at it for quite a while.

This was one of the most unique sunsets I have seen as there was such thick cloud cover in the sky. Usually I expect to see blue sky beyond the orange clouds, but it was a lot of grays instead.

I had to hike back around the hillside, through the woods in the dark. I was not chased by any coyotes. Thanks for reading.

41 thoughts on “Sunset at Warbler Vista”

  1. that is quite the sunset that you captured. I know you’ve talked about how it’s nice to have clouds around for a sunset, which I would have never thought to be the case. But now I can see how they can add to the beauty of such a moment…

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            1. I can always justify buying a book, and if you are going to read a book you need something sweet to drink/eat with it. I can also justify spending money for a hotel on the beach, for I need Vitamin D. Got it all worked out. 🙂

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    1. It really was a surreal orange in the clouds. I am not sure how well it translates in the photos.

      When I got home, I found my head lamp and put in my camera bag so hopefully I won’t forget it again.

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      1. I had almost said, “You need a head lamp!” LOL! Guess its more that you just need to remember it.

        I am sure it was even more surreal close up. Thanks for sharing the sunset with us.
        And now I am about to eat an orange. See, I don’t eat sugar all the time. 🙂

        Liked by 1 person

        1. Well, high-sugar fruits are good as long as you consume them whole with the fruit fiber rather than just the juice, I suppose. Just teasing. I do eat grapefruits from time-to-time.

          My headlamp spends time with camera bag and my camping gear. Maybe I need two of the things.

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          1. Haha! I actually don’t care for orange juice.
            You can have your grapefruit, I will stick to oranges. Its too sour for me.

            I think getting 2 may be your answer. Father’s Day is coming up, treat yourself. 🙂

            Liked by 1 person

  4. The flowers appear to be white milkwort, Polygala alba, which does grow along 1431. I used to go to Warbler Vista in the years before the entrance road got paved. I found some good things to photograph, especially along that entrance road.

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