No matter where you woke up in the Mother Lode this morning you likely woke up to smoke. (You'll notice some clickable pictures in this post and a video below of the smoke as it was seen in the Soulsbyville area looking towards Mt. Provo and the Sonora Vista Subdivision, respectively.) The major culprit producing the smoke in the Mother Lode (at least in the immediate vicinity of Tuolumne County) is what has been dubbed the North Mountain Fire located approximately 19 miles northeast of Groveland. According to the local radio news this morning, the fire has burned around 645 acres and is 5% contained. And so the smoke we've been experiencing in the air is probably going to continue for some time. The weather forecast for Saturday and Sunday is for a 20% chance of thunderstorms. Let's hope (and pray) the firefighters can get a handle on the North Mountain Fire before then and that no more fires will be started by lightning over the weekend. I hope you enjoy the pictures and the video.