As a kid I sat and watched my mother paint this scene which now hangs in my bedroom and tonight I was brought back to that moment. This may be the best sunrise that I have ever taken of Yosemite. The distant gold peeking through bright yellow with edges of orange and pink surround the light. The light on the forest is perfectly even and smooth and everything is looking refreshingly green for a change. The water is like glass as the Merced often is this time of year. If not for all the tourist around me this might have been a perfect moment. But wait!!! This isn’t a sunrise as you would think if you have been there an know the orientation of the valley. This was a sunset which was illuminating distant clouds high above the Sierra Nevada. That light was bouncing back at me and I just sat there in awe watching a sunrise as is the sun was going down. It just kept getting brighter and brighter to the East as the sun lit up the distant clouds. It has to be one of the best sunrises I have seen even if it is a sunset.