In June we spent a week in New Mexico. The streambeds were dry, and the national forests were closed to camping, hiking, even picnicking because of extreme drought conditions.
In July we drove home to Salt Lake City from Missoula, Mont. There was a large grass fire in eastern Idaho that filled the air with smoke all the way into Utah.
In August we drove to Wyoming, past the blackened hills of the Tollgate fire, past reservoirs drawn down below normal. The Tetons were little more than a blue outline against a sky white with smoke.