This was absolutely a screwy week for bike commuting in NC. We started the week with the hottest weather we've ever had this early in the year -- 4 days straight when the temperatures hit 100F or higher. Then a large wildfire that has been burning near the coast sent a huge plume of smoke over the eastern half of the state, with high levels of air pollution. I skipped riding Monday due to the heat, but managed to ride Tues, Weds and Thursday. However, the smoke got so bad on Thursday that I ended up catching a ride home with a coworker rather than riding in such polluted air. Drove again Friday because the smoke was still bad in the morning. Hopefully we won't have another week like this, but it could happen again because they are saying the fire could burn for weeks if not months.