I drove from Oregon through the northern tip of California on my way to Reno, Nevada yesterday. It was epic; snow, rain, mountains, desert, all one undulating day. I passed through Hat Creek pictured above, and it was the first time I saw the damage from the fires that have been raging the California landscape for years. This strange devastation occurred during the fires in this area in 2014 but it was still so bleak and blasted that it stopped me in my tracks. The wind blew hard and forever and it was cold. I took photos and felt the silence sink in. Its recovering here, so slowly, but fire – it burns deep and changes irrevocably.