Sunrises and sunsets are nature’s free shows to be enjoyed by all. With a little bit of planning, you can time your morning or evening walks to watch these events….especially when you are on vacation near beaches and mountains. I am an early riser, especially when I travel. I am sharing some of the photos I have taken using my iPhone camera over the last few years here. I will continue to update this post as I take more photos during my travels.
Sunrises
Sunrise over Charleston, SC viewed from the cruise terminal next to the Water Front Park (November 2015)
An early morning walk in Charleston, SC from the Battery Park to the Waterfront Park and Cruise Terminal is a great way to enjoy the sunrise while passing some of the historic points. The moon was still shinning when I started at 6:30 AM on a late November morning. The eastern sky was starting to light up slowly. The moon was still up over the western sky at 8:10 AM over the Pineapple fountain (Water Front Park), but the sun was starting to peak up over the eastern skyline. Within 5 minutes (by 8:15 AM), the sun had come out in all its glory. Time to head back to the hotel along another interesting route….there are no shortages for finding interesting walks in Charleston.
Sunrise over Sullivan’s Island (near Charleston), SC in November 2015.
Sunrise over Nags Head beach in Outer Banks, NC on a cloudy morning. It almost seemed like the sun was refusing to wakeup (July 2015).
Sunrise over Edisto Beach at the Edisto Beach State Park (August 2015) located an hour south of Charleston, SC. I am puzzled why I see two suns in my second iPhone photo taken almost at the same time as the first on this cloudy morning. It is a state beach, so no hangover effect either for me or my iPhone!
Sunrise from an airplane somewhere over the Midwest on a flight from Charlotte to Detroit (August 2015). There was cloud cover and the plane was going over the clouds, and the sun was coming above the clouds.
Sunrise over the Nevada desert viewed from Amtrak’s West-bound California Zephyr train (June 2016).Sunrise in North Myrtle Beach, SC in August 2016. Hotels and resorts lining the shoreline on the background.Sun rising up between Palmetto trees near Edisto Beach State Park, SC (September 2016). The inlet at this location (Shell Island) connects the waters of the Atlantic Ocean with the salt marshes.Sun partially showing up in the midst of clouds at Shell Island near Edisto Beach State Park, SC (September 2016). A lone tree at this stretch of beach appears to be similar to the dead trees along the Boneyard Beach at Botany Bay Wildlife Preserve. Actually, walking along this shore for few miles, one can reach the Boneyard Beach.Sunrise visible on I-85 North near Spencer, NC (2017).Sunrise at Fundadores Park @ Playa Del Carmen (Mexico) on Christmas day Dec 2018. Cloudy conditions were playing spoiler.
Sunsets
Sunset viewed on way back from Miami to Key Largo in December 2013.
Sunset over the Albemarle Sound viewed from the sand dunes in the Jockeys Ridge State Park in Outer Banks, NC (July 2015). You can join the crowd to fly kites (from the nearby Kitty Hawk Kites) while enjoying the sunset.Sunset over the Currituck Sound in Corolla (Outer Banks, NC) near the Currituck Beach Lighthouse. This is a popular spot for kiteboarding (July 2015).Sunset over the City of Charleston viewed from USS Yorktown, Patriots Point Naval Museum, Mt. Pleasant, SC (November 2015).Sunset over the Pacific viewed from Moonshine Beach in Cambria, CA (June 2016). I stopped at Cambria for the night while driving the Pacific Coast Highway.Sunset over the salt marshes in Edisto Island, SC in September 2016. We camped with friends at the Edisto Beach State Park twice over the last two years…..best way to enjoy nature, watch beautiful sunrises and sunsets, and have fun at the beach.Sunset from an airplane on my way back from Toronto to Charlotte in August 2016.Sunset from an airplane from Atlanta over the eastern US in July 2017.Sunset over Udawalawe National Park in Sri Lanka (August 2017)Sunset over the historic Galle Fort in Sri Lanka in August 2017. Quite a popular spot with tourists and wedding photographers to capture the sunset.
More photos of the changing scenery during the sunset at the Galle Fort over the Indian Ocean in Sri Lanka. These photos were taken within a 15-minute window as a tropical storm was approaching.
Sunset photo taken while driving on I-40 W in Arizona on the way back from the Grand Canyon National Park (July 2018).
Sunset over the mountains of Utah on I-15 on the way back from Bryce Canyon National Park to VegasSunset over the Santa Monica Beach near LA in July 2018Sunset viewed in August 2018 from an airplane from Minneapolis to Charlotte over the Midwest.Sunset @ Isla Mujeres (Mexico) Dec 2018Sunset @ Isla Mujeres (Mexico) Dec 2018Sunset at Lake Wylie in Charlotte viewed from McDowell Nature Preserve in June 2019
Both sunsets and sunrises can be viewed in Charlotte over one of the many man-made lakes. The ones above and below are sunsets over Lake Wylie.
Lake Wylie, Charlotte
Sunset at Nassau, New Providence Island, Bahamas viewed from a cruise ship at it was leaving the port in December 2019. On the Background is the Grand Hyatt Baha Mar Hotel Resort.
Useful Tips:
Use you weather app on phone to easily get sunrise and sunset times to plan viewing.
Go to an open area for clear views.
Late fall and winter are the most favored times in most parts of the United States.
Sunrises and sunsets tend to be more beautiful with at least a few clouds.
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