Caja del Rio just after sunset
Sunsets – along with sunrise and every other reason for looking to the horizon – have been crap for weeks. Tonight was different.
The smoke from wildfires has been persistent and often oppressive. Key fires here in New Mexico have been out for a little while; but, about 50 square miles of Colorado is still burning. So said the morning news. Air quality indications on my iPhone’s weather app have been moderately unsafe at best…usually “unhealthy for sensitive groups”…like human beings.
Most of this week, I’ve worn a cloth mask to keep the crud away from my lungs.
But, tonight, on my last exercise lap walking our fenceline, I glanced East towards the road and realized there were a few lovely red clouds in the sky and I could see the Sangre de Cristos East of Santa Fe clearly as evening approached. Most of this week, I could barely see there was a mountain range there – not that many miles away.
I turned and looked back at the mesa across our valley and the sky was smoke-free, clouds colored by the sun which set several minutes earlier. And grabbed a quick photo.
After I took the picture, I brought up the weather app. I hadn’t worn the mask tonight and the app confirmed my opinion. Air Quality was “good”. Hope it stays so…through the weekend and on into autumn.
