Chasing Rhododendron at Roan Mountain State Park Part Two

Earlier this week, I wrote about my first official day of summer vacation spent chasing rhododendron at Roan Mountain State Park.  Although the day was a time to bond with my son, Jeremy, and experience Roan Mountain State Park during peak bloom of rhododendron, I came home from the day without any of the images I was hoping to create while there.

If you missed reading my post about that foggy day at Roan Mountain State Park,

you can find it here.

Luckily, the next day, I had plans to meet two dear friends for sunrise at the same location.  This required me to again wake up between 1:00 a.m. and 1:30 a.m., drive more than three hours, meet my friends in the parking lot to access the trail, and hike in the dark to our desired location.

The second day I was sure to wear my jacket.  Unlike the morning before, there was no fog as my friends and I hiked up to the first bald, Round Bald.  We found the places we wanted to photograph during the sunrise.  I was thrilled to find an area covered with blooming rhododendron to include in my sunrise shot.

This image was taken just before the sun rose.  The clouds were lit a gorgeous pink to match the rhododendron.  As the sun rose, I was able to capture the image I have used as the featured image for this post.

Just after sunrise, I wanted to use all of the tents that were set up on Round Bald in my foreground.

Everywhere we looked, we were greeted with the beauty of blooming rhododendron.

It was a thrilling day spending time with great friends and seeing clearly, without all of the fog, the beauty of Roan Mountain State Park during the peak of the rhododendron bloom.

I will look forward to chasing rhododendron on Roan Mountain again next summer!