Geo 365: March 30, Day 89: Hazy Horizon

Looking roughly northwest from Pilot Butte, on a hazy late summer day, near sunset. Near the center of the horizon, Mount Jefferson rises to a bit over 10,000 feet. A bit to its left is Black Butte. And barely visible halfway between Mount Jefferson and the right edge of the photo, Mount Hood pokes up (It's the pointy, low one, not the first rise right of Jefferson). I often complain about Oregon's haze in the mid to late summer, but a bit of perspective is in order. First, it's frustrating to me because I've seen the same views on good days: truly breath-taking. I just haven't been able to get back with my current camera. Second, let's look at the actual distances we're peering across: Black Butte is about 30 miles away, Jefferson about 50, and Hood, 93. So whining about "barely" being able to see 93 miles may be a bit of, well, whining. Below is a crop of the relevant section of horizon, run through Paint.net's auto-level routine:

On the other hand, take a look at a panorama from this same location, on a clear day with better light. (Wikipedia link) West toward the Three Sisters during our visit was looking directly into the sun, and futile. The lesson is that this may be a location better visited in the morning, at least for views of the Cascades.

Main photo unmodified. August 20, 2011. FlashEarth Location.