Bushfire Sunset in September

 With bushfire season upon us, the smoke provides for fabulous sunsets full of depth and color. I drove just out of town tonight for these shots, and was on Ilparpa Road. The sunset didn't last but a few minutes before it disappeared into the smoke. The bushfires are on the edge of town again, filling the town with smoke again, so I've kept my doors shut. The heat is climbing slowly here, hovering around 30C most days now, so with the smoke, it's like being in a barbecue.
     The trees add a nice contrast to the smoke and sun. I could see the fires from where I was standing, not real big fires, but many little ones. They don't burn hot enough to burn the trees, just the grass on the ground. There was record rainfall last summer (Dec-Feb) which produced abnormal amounts of grass, which is what is burning out rather fast, and sometimes doesn't go very far. The ground is blackened in many places around Alice Springs already, and it's rather filthy to walk in. We often have ash all over anything left outside like my courtyard chairs, or my car. Gross.
     Tomorrow I'm heading up Mt. Gillen for a hike on Australian Father's Day. It will be exactly 2 years from the day Dad passed away, which is a rather interesting coincidence...