Thunder Head

Driving down from Breckenridge to Durango yesterday, when I hit the San Luis Valley I stated seeing a ton of smoke.  I thought this was probably from the fires in New Mexico, but later found out it was most likely from a fire called "The Little Sand Fire", burning north of Pagosa Springs, CO.  I started to see the photo possibilities immediately while the smoke started to choke out the sun.  As the sun got lower the scenes became even more dramatic.  While I pulled over on a back road and started shooting into the sun I noticed this cloud brewing up behind me while I went to retrieve another lens out of my car.  Before I knew it, this is what I was shooting and was no longer interested in the "into the sun" shot the other direction.  You can see in the top of the frame, smoke, which adds another layer to this shot.  It always amuses me how you sometimes end up shooting something you never expected or originally saw, but it ends up being the best shot of the day or trip.