Sunrise on Chimney Rock in northern NM

During my stay at Ghost Ranch NM in Oct 2008, breakfast was served in the cafeteria at 7:30 a.m. sharp, so early rising was a must. That meant that I got to see the sunrise on the high desert every morning. I took this photograph during the 5 minutes when the sun was creeping over Kitchen Mesa to the east and casting its glow on Chimney Rock to the west. I can still feel the crisp, early-morning, autumn air on my just-washed face.