When I first visited Calgary, a local I talked to told me that the best part of the city was the sunset. I didn't get a chance to experience it then, but I do now every day and, lemme tell you, they ain't lying.
That local just forgot to mention the sunrise.
The sun setting over the mountains, which we have a view of from our living room, is amazing. The sun rising, which I have a view of from my office, is just as spectacular. It needs the right conditions: just the right amount of clouds in just the right spot so the sun can shine on their undersides. Lucky for us, that happens very often.
The sun does not rise over the mountains, obviously, but shines in their direction, making them look more orange and red than usual. It's tough to make out the mountains from the picture, but very easy when you're standing there. The best part is the color of the clouds, such a contrast to the ones on the other side of the house, the next picture. Both pictures were taken within four minutes of each other.
You can't really see much of my desk because of the different light levels inside and outside of the house, but you can clearly see the view I have: a sky that seems to be on fire.
I took a similar picture a little while ago, which I put in my daily picture. It's in the same direction as my office's view, except it doesn't have the neighboring houses in the way.
Alberta is known for it's impossibly beautiful skies, and I can confirm that. Some of our visitors were never lucky enough to see it, but quite often we have sunrises and sunsets that seem to set the sky on fire, and quite often we have the deepest blue skies you have ever seen. Combined with the mountains, it makes for a really great outdoor experience, and we try to take advantage of it as much as possible.
