The frost was on the wrong side of the glass. I noticed that as I woke up shivering in my down sleeping bag, contorted into a Z shape to sleep moderately comfortably across the back seat of my car.

Shifting around, I had let in a wisp of cold air and now it tickled my back. And with the orange light brightening through the opaque windows, I decided it was time to get up and warm up the car.

As I let the engine run and blast air across the front windshield, I took my ice scraper to the sides and back windows. All the while I watched the sky. It was clear and soon I figured the sun would be rising. It would be my first prairie sunset, so I hurried to clear the windows and drive in search of a spot to set up for the momentous photo.