CA Smog: The air beneath my fingers

Here is a view looking west when entering California. This is taken in the same spot as the other photo, and so is on the smog-free(!) east side of the mountains. Therefore, this is the mildest possible smog. Hint: the orange line isn't a cable or a photo artifact. It's the top layer of smog. On the other side of the mountains, the orange line is hundreds if not thousands of feet thick.