Wildfires are raging on the west coast with big fires in California, Oregon, and Washington State. I am sure everyone has seen the news or were directly or indirectly affected. On the weekend from September 11, 2020, until September 13, 2020, the smoke from the big wildfires in California and Oregon stretched all the way up past the Canadian border into Vancouver B.C. On the south side it covered areas all the way down to Tijuana in Mexico. I never saw that much smoke in my life and especially from fires that far away.
I set out and took pictures in and around the city of Seattle and what it looked like when everything was covered in smoke. Heck, on Saturday the smoke was so bad in the afternoon, you could look directly into the sun without having to worry about your eyes. That means, there is a lot of smoke in the air.
Fire and Smoke Map 2020-09-13 (Courtesy of NOAA)
In 2017 I was in San Francisco during another season of big wildfires and smoke across the Bay Area. However, the smoke in the air made for some gorgeous sunsets.
Wildfires and Smoke across the Bay Area in 2017
Photo Gallery
Seattle Stadiums as seen from the Dr. Jose P Rizal Bridge
Downtown Seattle as seen from the Dr. Jose P Rizal Bridge
Downtown Seattle as seen from Kerry Park
Gas Works Park as seen from Queen Anne
East Portal Viewpoint: Looking East towards Bellevue
BNSF Yard next to Boeing Field
View from Marshall Park just before Sunset
Museum of Flight
Smoke Free Park (Marshall Park)
Sunset Timelapse
I was hoping for a beautiful orange sky during sunset, as in my other picture. Unfortunately, the smoke was just to thick. The sunset behind the Olympic Mountains, which you can’t even see in the video with all the smoke.
We all hope the smoke up here in Seattle goes away soon as well as the fires get under control and completely contained. A big thanks to all the firefighters, their support staff, and volunteers.
It’s still very dry everywhere so keep in mind to not start new fires. Many of these fires got started by humans, some of them because people were stupid and reckless. Please all think twice before you play with fire. No matter how small the flame is, you can start a domino effect that can turn into one of these gigantic blazes you are reading every day now.
Peter has a passion for Traveling, Photography, and Geocaching. These are the best ingredients for amazing adventures all over the globe. “Traveling is fun, no matter if you stay in a luxury hotel or travel like a backpacker.” Peter shares his experiences on his Blog www.gatetoadventures.com
Some of Peter’s photos are published on corporate websites, in-flight magazines, travel guides, and much more.
