Several years ago, my wife and I took a two-week trip through mostly northern Arizona, with a few days spent in Kanab, Utah. Our time in Kanab was not long enough to do everything we wanted, so a couple of years later, we planned a longer trip to spend more time there.

During our first visit, we explored the Toadstool Hoodoos, which are a short hike from the highway connecting Kanab and Page, Arizona. We visited in the mid-morning to take advantage of the pleasing sun angle and to avoid the heat later in the day.

On our second trip, I thought the hoodoos would be a great spot for sunrise photography. It's about a 40-minute drive from Kanab, plus an additional 15–20 minutes to hike out to the location, so I needed to leave an hour early to arrive on time. I went out a couple of mornings, but unfortunately, nothing remarkable happened. Either there were no clouds to add color to the sky, or the clouds completely blocked the sun, leaving the scene without any color.

On the fourth morning, however, everything fell into place. Clouds were in the eastern sky but not on the horizon, allowing the sun to shine through. Since you never really know in advance what will create the best photo opportunity, I kept taking shots periodically. The photo I selected captures the peak of color, just moments before the sun broke over the horizon.