I needed some outdoor time, and lucked into a last-minute room at the Pisgah Inn, on what was supposed to be a clear night, perfect for night sky photography.
I checked into my room under clear blue skies, then headed west to set up for sunset and then stars. A few miles west, the sky started looking less clear, but I went to one of my regular spots and started taking pictures. The wind picked up, driving fog and low clouds snaking through the valleys towards me.
I set up time-lapse to capture the mesmerizing movements (see below), but I was soon completely fogged in:
I traced back east to my planned night spot, hoping I could outrun the fog and clouds. For sunset, I was able to, but the clouds covered the sky after dark, so I didn’t get much night shooting in.
The sunset, however, was dynamite:
The clouds did make an interesting pattern in the night sky to the east, kind of like a razorback: