I left Denver this morning in a dense haze which persisted across the High Plains of eastern Colorado. The obvious culprit was a cold front that had dropped through the region overnight; chilly air (48 degrees F) had spread above the warm, soggy soil, causing fog to develop across the landscape.
In addition, the cold front pulled down smoke-laden air, the product of raging wildfires in Western Canada. By the time I reached Kansas, the air temperature had risen into the sixties F; as a result, the fog dissipated but the smoke still produced a mild haze.
Such is the nature of air masses, influenced by both local conditions and distant events. Though it was not a good day for sightseeing, my numerous journeys on I-70 have ensured that the regional landscape is firmly ingrained in my memory.
