Last week I visited Olympic National Park for the first time–something I’m embarrassed to admit as I’ve lived only a few hours from the park my entire life. It won’t be my last visit. Early in the week, the park’s lakes, waterfalls and Olympic Mountains put on a magnificent summer display. The photo below shows the deep blue waters of Lake Crescent, one of the park’s major attractions.

However, a few days into the visit, photography became difficult when smoke from wildfires in British Columbia settled over the area. This was of course a minor inconvenience when compared to the people whose homes are threatened by the fires or firefighters battling the fires.

The smoke did however result in some amazing sunsets. Below is a shot from the Lake Crescent Lodge as the sun tried to force its way through the thick smoke just before it dropped behind the hills at the west end of the lake.