As a night owl, I don’t see very many sunrises, even in the winter. I especially don’t see them 65 miles from home. However, this past weekend brought frigid temperatures, lots of wind, and the promise of partly cloudy skies on Sunday morning, so I gave up sleep in favor of some photo opportunities. It’s a long drive to Manistee from Traverse City when the sun’s not up. Because it was so cold, I decided to pack my layers in the car, and finish dressing on my arrival. I barely had time to toss on my snow pants before heading out, and I was still slipping on my gloves when the first light touched the top of the lighthouse.

There were eight glorious, rosy minutes from that moment until the sun climbed into the low clouds. But even as the incredible pink sunrise faded, the light wasn’t boring, so I wasn’t bored.

I stayed out on that ice-coated pier for the next hour-and-a-half, capturing the various frozen formations along the pier and on the lighthouse, before dragging myself back to the car. I didn’t see another person the whole time I was out, but the more impressive thing is that I managed to keep my fingers from getting cold! (Toe warmers stuck to the inside of ski mittens.)

Check out the winter landscapes gallery for more frozen fun, or the sunrises and sunsets gallery for more colorful scenes.