Rainbow Hunting

A rainbow is always a welcome surprise. But over the years I’ve learned to recognize when conditions are absolutely right, and thereby increase chances of catching one.

We were unloading the truck yesterday afternoon in a cold rain, but to the south and west patches of blue could be seen breaking through the clouds. And no sooner had the rain moved north then the sun was shining on us.

Good time for a rainbow, I remarked to my on. Soon as I searched upward he shouted “There it is,” directing my attention further down toward the horizon.

And what a rainbow it was! Not only were the colors especially bright, a double rainbow taking shape. And this this rainbow was near enough, there was enough drizzle in the air, we could glimpse where it touched down in the field above and to our left, and further down, in a wide arc, near the bottom of the holler. “

“There’s the gold!” my son joked, pointing where the hues kissed the ground. We stood a full minute or more admiring the colors and curve before I thought of taking a picture. By the time I hobbled to the house and back with a camera, it was starting to fade, the bow breaking up. But you can see where it touches down if you study the left side of the picture closely.

And as for rainbow hunting, here’s what I’ve learned. They only appear when the sun and rain-bearing clouds are on opposite sides of the sky.

Best chances are when the sun in shining in the morning as rain is approaching from the West, or in the afternoon, as the sun breaks through the clouds just after a storm has moved through and the dark clouds can be seen to the east.

Even when you expect to see one, it’s a cause to smile.