Do you have a favorite place to watch the sunrise? Perhaps you are lucky enough to have a great view out your living room window, or from your back porch. We have an abundance of trees around us, for which we are grateful for many reasons. While they add their own beauty, these large plants require us to leave home for that perfect, unobstructed sunrise view.

A favorite roost for me and Keith, my morning amigo, to watch the sun emerge is the Thompson Hill lookout beneath the visitor center on Skyline Drive. We are usually not alone, as a few other vehicles pull in for a front row seat.

Some...