At 4:10 I emerged from my office to epic clouds. I asked all of the kids if they’d like to try and race with me from our home to Vasquez Rocks Natural Area. It’s a 16-mile drive that, without traffic should take about 25 minutes. My 15-year-old son, Funny Man, decided he wanted to go and we hit the road at 4:15 for a 4:46 sunset. We wondered along the way about whether we’d get to a spot in time to catch the color, whether we’d catch an epic sunset or experience and epic fail. Either way, I was already in my happy place.

We got to the public entrance and the sky was on fire. He was giddy, ready to break into a sprint to get to a good vista. Still, I decided to risk the extra two minutes to take us to a spot overlooking the park that is more easily accessed from a private road. We parked and ran up a trail to this spot, winded and laughing. It was an epic sunset and the perfect mini-adventure with Funny Man. We both needed it.

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