Fires still burning...;

This photo is at about 6500 feet along highway 4 leading to Ebbetts Pass in the Western Sierra. If you look closely you can see the smoke from one of the fires still burning. Hopefully the worst of them will burn out soon.

In spite of the fires, the mountains still hold allure and beauty and the promise of wild and uncharted territory. I can only imagine the 'take-your-breath-away feeling that must have hit the first ones to explore these mountains as they came over the top of the Ebbetts Pass. We can still capture a bit of that, albeit driving on a paved road!