After a long nap to tame a migraine Tuesday night, I awoke with just enough time to bolt for high ground and see what the sky was doing. There was a pretty strong haze in the sky, and I think I know why. My home town of Missoula, Montana is a battleground against many forest fires right now, as is the Glacier National Park area. The winds coming out of the north cleared most of it up around here, however. Yet there was still a visible haze when I first checked the sky.

These clouds not only had a gold lining from the sun behind them, but they also cast a shadow in the haze around them! It made for a pretty dramatic sky, or at least this portion of it. As the sun set the shadows grew longer until this hole in the clouds closed up for good.

This is what happens on the western horizon when there’s enough haze in the sky: perfectly red sun. I wasn’t in position to get both of these phases of the sunset to my satisfaction, but I don’t think the rooftop on the horizon totally ruins the shot.

I think we can expect some pretty wild sunsets as long as the forest fires keep throwing stuff into the sky. Keep an eye out for some amazing colors the next several days!