This morning when I got up to ride to work it was dark, darker than when I went to bed. At first I thought it was going to rain. Then I got a whiff. It wasn't dark from rain clouds but haze from the forest fires north of Anchorage.
With the haze, smoky smell, warm air, humidity, and the bike ride it was like I was back in Taiwan. It was mainly the smell that brought on the flood of memories. Some of my strongest memories in Tiawan are associated with smells. So the ride in this morning was quite the trip down memory lane.
The smoke was also blending the morning light in funny ways. Greens were much more vibrant, like I was looking through a polarized filter. It must have been the smoke in the air because I remember the same thing happening with the fallout from the last Mt. Spurr erruption.
On the brightside, the forest fires usually mean more moose and fireweed. It could also open up some new trails around Trapper Lake.
P.S. The Anchorage photo was taken by seanexmachina and the Taipei photo was taken by Paogao.
Side Note: I have been in the Norton Sound region for most of the week. So I have not had time to update. I should be back on schedule next week with lots of new stories. I will also be updating my Flickr with the trip photos soon.
No comments:
Post a Comment