A few Fridays ago I spotted some pretty wild clouds overhead and had some time to pursue them. As it turns out, the sky provided a pretty good variety for me…it just took a little legwork.

Although the previous photo was taken from the parking lot of Bismarck High School, I knew I needed a better vantage point in order to capture some of the more spectacular sights. I headed for Promontory Point to catch the tail end of this weather system. It had some pretty astonishing lift, making for some really visually appealing artifacts in the clouds.

Here’s the trailing edge of this weather cell. While it looks pretty cool on its own, it’s what was taking place within the clouds that was most exciting.

As you can see, the lines forming within this group of clouds are pretty neat all on their own, illustrating some very unique dynamics within the system. I decided I needed a better look, so I decided to head to Fort Lincoln.

Sadly, I was told at the gate that the blockhouse hill had been closed because of these very clouds. I was extremely ticked; I mean, why do I pay for a state parks pass if they close whenever it’s most useful? The blockhouse hill is closed until the sun has risen, it closes at sunset, it closes for weather… it’s ridiculous. I retreated to the Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery for a hasty shot before the sunlight went away for the evening.

Out by Huff I noticed that I once again had feathery company in my observation of local weather patterns. On the way back I saw several more of his counterparts perched atop power line poles along the highway.

As always, I maintain that North Dakota has some of the most dramatic skies. Keep looking up, or you just might miss ’em!