I was pleasantly surprised.  A cotton field in Kansas?
It was early morning. I had just spent the night in the back of my car. The misty rain which fell on the roof throughout the night made for a restless sleep.  That and the fact that I had somehow managed to park my car under a Oak tree.  It’s annual production of acorns were just starting to make their way to Earth’s floor below.  Every once in awhile, usually just as I had fallen back to sleep, the tree would unleash it’s offspring as though it’s limbs were arms which would aim with precision onto the roof of my car.  I was in the middle of nowhere; a quaint little town somewhere in Southern Kansas.  The perfect town for road trip camping. Not too small so that my out of state car license plates would be noticed and not so big that it would go unnoticed too long if something were to happen to me during the night. I drove along the dark gaslight lit streets lined with houses and large trees towering above and finally found a dark area in front of a house that had a for sale sign displayed in the front yard. The house was empty so I figured I wasn’t taking anyone’s parking spot for the night.  No need to upset the townsfolk.  The Oak Tree on the other hand…

The following morning I received a message from a friend.  He had seen a photo I posted on Facebook and mentioned he lived in Southern Kansas and that I was near him…less than two hours. Tyler and I had met while I was hiking The Colorado Trail just a few months before. He taught me about the dangers of hiking in zero drop shoes without first breaking them in.  He also gave me some excellent pointers on a lighter water and sleeping system.  We were both taking a “zero” day at a Hostel in Breckinridge, Colorado.  By the time we got back on the trail the next day, my pack was 8 pounds lighter.
I decided to head north and pay him a visit. I had no idea he lived in Kansas. As I made my way through the foggy backroads, empty even on this Wednesday morning, I came up on a field of…cotton. Cotton in Kansas? I had always thought of it as a southern crop grown in the warmer climates.
The fog added a nearly opaque backdrop to the scene really pulling the texture out in the field.  The rows faded in the background, gently leading your eye to the horizon but the foreground was full of texture and spots pulling you back.  It was a perfect example of compositional elements working in harmony.
The beauty of the moment was something I could not pass by. Many times I see something and just want to keep my camera in it’s case. To enjoy the moment for what it is. My little secret with Mother Nature. But on this particular morning I felt like sharing.