A smoky and lurid sunrise...

greets Castle Valley this morning. While the colorful refraction of the Sun’s rays through the smoke plume can be lovely, I still prefer smoke free skies.

ADDED: Mid-day smoke plume map. Air quality this afternoon has significantly deteriorated and is horrible. It’s going to be one of those summers.

Another indispensable website and app during fire season: Watch Duty. I highly recommend an annual membership for $25 to support their valuable work (no commission earned).

ADDED: Mid-afternoon satellite image of smoke plume from the Cottonwood Fire near Beaver, Utah.

The La Sal Mountains have nearly vanished in the thick smoky haze at 3:00 pm MDT.