Sometimes you get lucky. Often, persistence pays off. The previous day, my wife (Joyce) and I had visited this spot, a popular vantage point from which to view and photograph iconic Moraine Lake, but conditions were far from ideal, so we decided to return early this morning to see what we could find. However, upon awakening in the wee hours, we were disappointed to learn that it was raining. Undeterred, we decided to go ahead and make the one-hour drive to the lake... just in case.

And it paid off. As we sat in the car for half an hour in the parking area, waiting for the sun to rise, the rain stopped and, in the first light of day, we could see that the clouds were parting. Luck seemed to be with us. So we hiked the short distance to the vantage point, where I carefully selected the point of view, set up the tripod, mounted the appropriate lens, and composed the image. By then, the storm clouds had cleared and, as the early rays kissed the tallest peaks and a slight breeze ruffled patches of water, I was able to make this image. You've likely seen photos of this scene before, but to me -- to both of us, actually -- it was a very special moment and a fitting memento of our visit to the Canadian Rockies.