A Smoke Induced Twilight

 

Paddled under a strange looking sky yesterday morning on Lake Cochituate in Wayland, MA.

After launching at Cochituate State Park, just over the line in Natick, MA, I was paddling from the middle pond to the north pond when I saw this fireball-like sun in the sky above me (opening photo).  The meteorologists had told us that smoke from wildfires in Canada was going to be carried to our area via northwest winds and possibly envelop us.  Yesterday it did just that.  The smoke in the air could be seen, smelled, and even tasted.  Gave the surroundings in mid-morning a sepia look.

Paddled towards and thru the culvert under the Mass Pike...

...where I was reminded of the tread depth on my car's tires having been found to be OK the day before.

Passed though another culvert at Route 30...

...before reaching the north pond...

It looked like rain was imminent but things stayed dry.  It was hard to tell if skies were cloudy or just smokey.

Checked out the gatehouse where Cochituate's water was long ago conveyed to the city of Boston...

In years past I used to launch from this area but nowadays the entrance gate to the area is kept closed by DCR.  Fairly close to the old gatehouse is Lakeview Cemetery where I'd recently discovered that another ancestor of mine is buried.  Post-paddle I unsuccessfully searched the cemetery for a headstone not realizing that the photo on my phone was of a flush marker rather than a headstone.  I'll attribute my error to the wildfire smoke. Note: went back this morning and found the marker right where I'd been looking yesterday.  Thankfully, we're smoke-free so far today.  

Paddled over to the pond's east side where outfall presently leaves Cochituate via Cochituate Brook and flows to the Sudbury River in Saxonville, MA...

Looked across the pond towards Lakeview Cemetery before heading back to middle pond and the light at the end of the tunnel...

Trash wasn't as weird as the day was...