Cue the angels:
As I was wandering the desert (seriously), hoping that tonight (which was last night) would be the night the clouds would part and I would get to see the moon rise … the clouds DID part, and a rainbow DID shine! I ask you: How does that happen!?!? 🙂 I’m not complaining, mind you, but Mother Nature is a wondrous, mysterious creature.
And then, this:
My desert wandering paid off!
If I ever get those glorious scenes with a gorgeous mustang right in my foreground, I’m going to keel right over without being able to hit the shutter even once, probably. 😉
This was the last night to get the moon rising with the sun only very recently set. When the moon is actually full on Sunday (happy lunar eclipse if you’re on the other side of our world from North America!), it’ll be rising in a dark sky.
But last night, as I walked away (OK, I might have been doing as much of an Olympic race-walk as I possibly could with a camera pack on my back, binoculars in the case on my front and carrying a monopod that really is not a hiking stick), THIS was hustling me along (and yes, there was lightning):
See the moon rising above Temple Butte and McKenna Peak and submarine ridge at lower right?
Conclusion: Sometimes the rainbows come and go well before the post-sunset rain. 🙂 (And I think the valley got fairly widespread (though light) rain!)
Happy, happy!
Spring Creek Basin Mustangs 
Such gorgeous photos of the rainbow and the rising moon and the late evening storm chasing you home! What a wonderful way to end the day, TJ; thanks for bringing us along!
I’m even happier to report that we just got a toad-gagger! 🙂 Well, as far as I know, it’s too dry for toads OR frogs, but the rain pounded, and the ditches and arroyos RAN. I got home from a trash/recycling run to find water running across the road and down the bar ditch! … Then dry road, then it unleashed right over us. … ALL of us, I hopehopehope!
THAT is such wonderful news, TJ! I’m so happy to read this. Hopefully there will be more. We seem to be in another mini-monsoon pattern for awhile so we can all, as you said, – hope, hope, hope!
I sure hope so. More chances mid-week?! Chances are good; hoping it comes true. 🙂 I couldn’t get past Spring Creek last night as it was rolling merrily along, muddy, muddy and happy (is there a sound happier than a running creek in a desert?!)!
TJ, you really are getting some wonderful pictures! Thank you for sharing them with us! Nature is so beautiful!
I am kind of a fangirl over Ma Nature. 😉 So glad to share her beauty. 🙂
You are so fortunate TJ!!
I am the MOST grateful of humans. Truly. 🙂
Yes!!
So cool !! Love them all. (photos)
What an evening. 🙂
All beautiful and breathtaking images, TJ, especially the buttes and the moon. Rain is coming…
We have chances again around Thursday, Friday and Saturday. … Crossing fingers and toes and everything that can be crossed! 🙂