Phoenix, Arizona - Sunset and Moonrise

I am always excited when there is a full moon.  I drove to several places this afternoon to scout out my "ideal spot" for tonight's event.  I have found a new favorite.

Pending thunderstorms threatened to block the full moon, but I was happy to be out shooting.  Keeping a positive attitude (not always easy when it is 108 in the desert), I set up the tripod and tested the settings.

I was disappointed by the cloud cover in the direction of the moon, but was able to get a few photographs before it was hidden.  The sunset, however, did not disappoint.

Here are the photos, in the order that I took them.  Running back and forth from sunset to moonrise!!

Thunderstorms on the way in and I was able to catch a lightning strike in the east.

Facing the northwest.  The tower is at the Phoenix airport.

North east, big zoom, playing with the zoom lens to see what I could get.

The virga (the dark thin lines coming down from the cloud...rain!) near downtown Phoenix.

The moon peaks between the storm clouds for a moment.

My favorite is the view of the sunset light shining on clouds.