Even though there was a lot of smoke from the fires in the interior, we still have a beautiful time camping this year. The area, just south of Delta Junction, normally has spectacular views of both the Alaska and Wrangle mountains... as well as several glaciers. It has a way of making you feel just how vast this land is. But this year we couldn't see much farther than the trees on the other side of the lake.

I don't know if it was the smoke, but the fishing was terrible. As far as I know I hooked the only fish the entire trip... a small lake trout, probably only about 8" long... but apparently I forgot to close the clip on my swivel, and fish, lure and all flipped off just as I got it to the canoe. So there were no fish landed on this trip at all.

The smoke did not hinder the hiking and exploring though. The rough gravel road we followed up into the hills is named Coal Mine Road for the abandoned coal mine at its