This photograph was taken on the morning of Sunday, June 26, 2011.  I awoke early to get ready for the first of several paddling trips we have taken this summer on the New River.  In each trip, we left Abingdon early in the morning and witnessed a great sunrise as a sort of prologue to the adventures ahead of us on the river. 

On the first morning, as I prepared our fishing tackle and provisions in the kitchen I noticed the sky was a brilliant pink and purple in the East as the sun began to rise.  I drove to Main Street and took some quick photographs of the scenic skyline of Abingdon.  Note you can see right through the shutter-adorned window of the Washington County Courthouse cupola.  In the foreground is the Sinking Springs Presbyterian Church steeple.

The photo below shows more of the skyline.  The purple periphery framed the pink background of the rooftops.  The dramatic sunrise was an auspicious start to our first trip to the New River this year.