Purple haze

"Purple haze" is too poetic. Let's just call this a depressing haze. The last couple of days, we've been cloaked in a terrible fug, the result of a huge forest fire raging in Oregon (yes, that's 1,500 or so miles away). The photo above was taken on Fillmore Street, looking west. You can barely see Pikes Peak. Squint your eyes and look hard -- it's behind that tall pole on the left! Can you find it? The air quality has been so bad, I've had to use my inhaler, which is a rare occurrence indeed. Anything to stop this coughing! All of my asthmatic friends are miserable right now.

Yesterday Pat and I decided to take a drive through the mountains, but there was no escaping the gloomy haze. Even so, it's good to get away and take a drive, even if you can't see the view!

This shot was taken from inside the Garden of the Gods, driving west. Pikes Peak is barely visible on the right side of the frame, behind the darker foothills.

This was taken from a favorite stopping point along Highway 67. Normally the view here is magnificent, but not yesterday. Way too much haze. I enjoyed it anyway!