Aerlix

You know that feeling when you've found just the right spot to camp for the night, and you crawl out bleary eyed stupidly early in the morning... to be greeted by something absolutely soul stirring. One of those moments when you really think 'this is why I do this'.

I'll start, this was on Manitoulin Island in Ontario.

Opening the tent and seeing this was.. memorable..

and then here is where I spent the next night, closed the hatch and tried to hide from mosquitoes.. did not work.. not even slightly..

Machka 

I'll have to take a photo of a steaming hot cup of black coffee ... that's usually my best view in the morning ...


Oh wait ... I've got one ...

We arrived at the campground on Lake Shikotsu, Hokkaido, Japan really late. In the morning we got up to have a look around and see what we could find for breakfast. What we found was a vending machine with drinks (no food), but was surprised us was that the vending machine produced hot black coffee in a can ...

This was a welcome sight!!



And the view from the tent was pretty good too.

bikenh

Interesting thread idea.

On my recent trip my favorite morning had to be on the first morning out on the last leg of the trip. I was west of Columbus, Ohio. I had found a nice potential campsite using Google Earth before I ever left my mothers house. It had all the key ingredients I was looking for in a nice stealth campsite. I decided to give it a go and while riding along US 40 in the evening I passed the entrance somewhere and ended up turning down a side road and found the bike path crossing. I turned down the bike path and it took me to where I was looking to go anyways. Fortunately I got there after sunset but when I woke up in the morning I was surprised to learn about the area. Given the fact of a creek being nearby I was surprised that I wasn't bothered by mosquitoes while sitting up the tent in the evening or tearing down in the morning. Being, like most of my campsite were during the trip, right off the highway...within ear shot of the highway traffic I was surprised how little highway noise their was, evening or morning being I was less than one hour ride time from downtown Colmbus.

Rowan

Probably the Hazzards on Freycinet Peninsula in Tasmania, from the Swansea Caravan Park.

Closely followed by a small bay on Bruny Island about two metres away with mountains from the Hartz Range in the background.

staehpj1

Not taken while crawling out "bleary eyed stupidly early in the morning", since I had most likely been on the road for an hour by then. I was riding west, but stopped to look back where I came from that morning to see this view:

It was one of many mornings like that. I love hitting the road in the dark and watching the sun rise while on the road.

Judging by the pictures posted on this thread so far people have a different idea of "stupidly early" since it looks like full daylight in their pictures.

Edit here is another one taken from the "Marfa Mystery Light Viewing Station" in Texas:

Machka 

Anything before about 8 am is not acceptable ... even that's touch and go.

eofelis 

Camping along the Dolores River, near Gateway, Colorado.

rumrunn6

morning light is great. something about the softness and low angle

staehpj1

Everyone is different. For me 8 AM is really sleeping in, even in the short days of winter. I do fairly often knock off for the day by 1 or 2 PM to make up for it though.

andrewclaus

I rise before the sun, too. I see a lot of sunrises. My favorite mornings are usually in the mountains. One morning I crested a pass in the Cascades right at dawn and got treated to a rainbow in the mist rising from the road. Another misty morning I was cycling through a National Wildlife Reserve in MN and the birds were just waking up. I don't like to miss those moments by sleeping late.

raybo

I don't usually camp (motels and couches, mostly), but on a ride from Charleston to Lambertville, NJ (journal here) I camped near the ferry port at a campground where I was the only one in the tent section. It was right on the water and the sun's angle over the water first thing in the morning was pretty.

Rowan

And twilight.

The Golden Hours.

Rowan

In the mid-2000s, I did what I called the Golden Circle Tour, from Melbourne to the Murray River and back down through the old gold-mining fields of Ballarant and Bendigo.

I camped a couple of days on a bank about three metres above the Murray. I woke up to this on morning:

Simon Cowbell

Clearing skies after a night of rain.

Niles H.

Opening my eyes to see a massive, very inquisitive bear's face -- checking out my breath, nose-to-nose.

B. Carfree

I got the other end. I awoke to my groundcloth rustling and looked up to see a bare bear butt walking away one fine morning in Yosemite Valley.

Juha

Here's a view from the Finnish Lake region. I paddled this part of the tour, but I did bring the kayak to the lake by bike.

--J

Machka 

Uh huh.

And what did you do then?

alan s 

All I can say is she was gorgeous, and no, I don't have pictures.

simplygib

Caye Caulker, Belize. Didn't want to leave this place.

bradtx

Machka, I'm with you WRT coffee!

Brad

cyccommute 

Point Sublime, Grand Canyon


Missouri River, White Cloud, KS

It was a better sunrise than night. The fish gutting station and corn drier made for a...um...memorable night

Chain of Rocks, St. Louis

reed523

This one was pretty good. First morning of a cross-North America. Acadia Natl.Park

Dudelsack 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/machka-...7630063348587/

That is the coolest picture evar. If you glance at it, the can looks like it might be made out of carbon fiber.

lopek77

My Wife!!!!