Two long and dreary days of rain...

are turning the Colorado River a light mocha brown color with the slowly rising discharge in response to the ongoing weather event. Here’s the river around noon today. More rain is in the forecast and a flood watch is in effect.

View upstream into Professor Valley with the river running about 3,300 cfs.

UPDATE 23 October 2026, the following day: The Colorado River is now running 11,600 cfs at noon, the highest flow of the calendar year and more than twice the peak discharge during spring runoff. What a difference a day makes.

Stopped short of Warner Lake...

by downed timber across the forest road, all I came home with is this image shot at 9,000 feet (2,740 m) of several of the higher snow-dusted peaks in the La Sal Mountains. A snapshot of the coming winter.

Summit elevations: Haystack Mountain - 11,630 ft (3,546 m), Mount Mellenthin - 12,645 ft (3,854 m), Mount Tukuhnikivatz - 12,482 ft (3,805 m).

This season's first snow has arrived...

in the La Sal Mountains following a couple of days of light rain at lower elevation. My weather station located in Castle Valley has recorded nearly one inch (25 mm) of rain and more is forecast the next several days. It’s a good start to the 2026-2027 water year.

Making a brief appearance in the stormy high country: Green Mountain (left) and Pilot Mountain (right) are 12,160 feet (3,707 m) and 12,200 feet (3,719 m) high, respectively.

The view opened up a bit more later in the afternoon, but unsettled weather is expected to continue for a few more days.

A series of storm cells...

pass across Porcupine Rim this evening, and, unfortunately, nary a drop of rain fell in the valley. But fortunately there weren’t any lightning strikes. Here’s one storm cell, backlit by the setting Sun at dusk.

Another smoky sunrise...

greets the dawn, the result of raging wildfires across the region. Air quality is unhealthy and getting worse.

Last night’s satellite image captured early in the evening showing fire smoke plumes and heat sources in southeastern Utah and Colorado.

MID-DAY UPDATE: Air quality continues to deteriorate throughout the day. Here are a couple of views around 1:00 pm MDT.

UPDATE at 5:00 pm MDT: Air quality has turned to very unhealthy. Round Mountain is no longer visible and the Tower has all but vanished from sight. Hell on Earth.

7:30 pm MDT: A late-day shift in the winds is driving the edge of the smoke plume across Parriott Mesa. Air quality is improving rapidly. Hallelujah!

Winds and light rains...

have washed the wretched fire smoke from the skies, returning the high desert to good air quality and allowing for the resumption of my early morning rides after a five day-long hiatus. Here’s my shadow claiming first tracks on the rain-dimpled singletrack this morning. Dee-lightful.

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.

Downwinders: Air quality is now well into the unhealthy range in the Moab - Castle Valley area and likely to get worse. Here’s the smoke plume at 5:00 pm MDT. Round Mountain has completely disappeared from view.

24 June 2026 UPDATE: Shortly after sunrise, around 7:00 am MDT. Air quality remains firmly in the unhealthy category. Ugh.

A mid-day smoky haze...

diminishes air quality across Utah and Colorado, frustrating my attempt at solstice sunrise photography earlier in the morning. A large range fire southwest of Provo is responsible. I dread fire season.

The hazy view at high noon.

Useful link to Fire and Smoke Map 4.2. (You may have to turn on the plume mapping function in the settings.)

The refurbished evaporative cooler...

is ready for the forecast high temperatures this weekend. The blower was lubricated and the original water pump was replaced with a new one that is much quieter, while the aspen wood pads were replaced last year. I’m grateful that a Wi-Fi connection to the Internet wasn’t required for the pump. It’s very simple tech that works extraordinarily well.

Winter finally arrives...

in Castle Valley with nearly five inches (~12 cm) of snow falling overnight. What a difference a day, and night, makes.

Given the shock and hardship this is presenting the local birds, the daily grain allotment has been doubled at the feeding stations.

Western Meadowlark (Sturnella neglecta).

AFTERNOON UPDATE: The sun comes out after an additional several inches of snowfall. It’s very nice to have a helpful neighbor with the proper tools. I’m certain he’s having fun.