Sophie Dawn has fought a stuffy nose the past two days, but that’s about the extent of her reaction to the rising levels of smog across western Washington.

“I might be the only person here who’s reacting to it,” the Enumclaw resident said. “And I’m the one with the really sensitive allergies.”

That didn’t stop Dawn – or about 200 others – from taking in a sunny (and hazy) day at Nolte State Park outside Enumclaw. This area tends to get the highest levels of ozone throughout the Puget Sound region, but everyone seemed more concerned with swimming on Deep Lake, paddling canoes, enjoying a picnic or soaking up some rays.

“The only thing I’ve noticed is a little haze when I look at Mount Rainier,” said Caren English of South Prairie. “It’s usually such a nice view from here, but yeah, it’s definitely obscured.”

The former owner of the Mystery Car called.
I'd rattled off the car info I had, 1997 Honda Accord, when I spoke with her mom, who didn't correct me.
The person who answered the phone at Burns Towing checked and said it was an Accord.

Pierce County Sheriff's Dept. said it was registered as an Accord.
But you eagle-eyed, car-loving bloggers were right when you said it looked like a Civic. (I'm no good at telling cars apart, so I appreciated your input.)

The owner says it's a Civic.

How did this happen? I'm guessing the error originated on the registration. The car was last bought used. That error would have stayed alive on its paper trail.

I'm going back to the posting and correcting the error now.

Thanks again, sharp-eyed readers!

I’m about to jump in the car and head to Enumclaw, which typically has the worst smog levels on this side of the state.

But before I went, I called the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. I wanted to know what the poor Enumclawers (Enumclawians? Enumclawans?) did to deserve the worst air quality in the area.

Turns out, they can blame Seattle. And Everett. And Bellevue. And basically everyone in that giant sprawling urban mass where people drive everywhere, spewing the elements of smog into the air. If it’s cool and wind aplenty, no problem. If it’s hot (by Washington standards), then Enumclaw gets a larger-than-average dose of O₃

“The wind is very, very low speed during these events,” said Dave Kircher, the manager for air resources at the Puget Sound Clean Air Agency. “And it typically comes out of the north. And it’s affected by geography and geology of the area. That airmass moves down the mountains and ends up in the Enumclaw area. It’s kind of funneled down there.”

But if you think your South King County brethren are choking on a Beijing-like haze, rest assured it ain’t that bad.

“Depending on how sensitive you are, you might detect more of an impact in Enumclaw than you would other places,” Kircher said. “But it really depends on sensitivity. Our levels are nothing like you’d experience in Houston or Southern California. If you go to LA during a really bad time, even if you’re a healthy person, you’ll feel a difference.”

The Metro Dive Rescue Team suited up on the shore of Wapato Lake on Friday morning, and a crowd of about 50 gathered to watch the Mystery Car come out of the water.

Pierce County Sheriff's Deputy Curtis Filleau walked into the water first and snorkled out to the pale greenish square visible from the surface. He dove down, took a look at the submerged 1997 Honda Civic and swam back with a small tire and good news: There was no body in the car.

Deputy Bruce Johnston, directing the effort on shore, explained that next Filleau would put on scuba gear and attach two J hooks to the axle on each side of the car.

Easy to say. Messy to do.

Around 10:30 a.m., Filleau reported in from 6 feet under the water.

"I just hooked it up," he said. "The front end got smashed up. It was hard to get at. It's under 2 feet of mud. It looks like they drove it right down into the lake, The window on the left is out and broken."

Filleau joined his chains to the wire attached to Bernie LaPointe's Burns Towing truck, surfaced and waded out.

Fresh from digging around in two feet of prime Wapato Mud, he shed his tanks and beelined to Tacoma Fire Department's Engine 10. The fire crew had come to wash the Wapato water off the divers.

"Can you all back up, in case the cable snaps?" Tacoma Police Officer John Warczak asked before LaPointe began to reel the car up.

Young Caleb Musick of Puyallup backed toward his father, Miles Musick.

"This morning Caleb asked 'Can we go see the mystery car?'" Miles said.

What kid would not want to see law officers, divers and tow trucks pulling a car out of a lake?

This car had come to light, literally, when a Metro Parks contractor dumped alum in the lake to bind phosphates and starve algae. Overnight the water went from an impenetrable green to blue clarity.

The car, which had been invisible for about four years, was suddenly apparent, along with shopping carts, bikes, skateboards and a television. Metro Parks workers retrieved the small stuff and removed thousands of fish killed by the chemicals. They tried, and failed, to snare the car from the surface.

That's when the Sheriff's Department contacted Metro Parks and volunteered to hook the axle.

"About 30 to 40 percent of the calls we respond to are stolen cars in the water," said Deputy Shaun Darby, suited up and standing by in case Filleau needed help.

Add the mystery car to that list. Four years ago, the silver two-door Honda Civic was stolen from a University of Puget Sound freshman.

LaPointe started the winch rolling. Within a minute, the slimy car was waving its windshield wiper at the crowd of 50 spectators at the park.

The car came out in one piece, revealing a broken window, a smashed left front end, and a back seat wriggling with small fish who survived the chemicals only to take one last ride to the impound lot.

"Can we save the fish?" asked Delia Bartolini. "They're the only fish that lived in the whole lake."

No, they would not be saved. Fortunately, they are not the sole survivors. Alert fish spotters have seen catfish rummaging along Wapato's bottom. And Caleb found another critter.

"Look!" he yelled, and held up a crayfish that escaped from the Honda's undercarriage. "I'm going to put it back in the water."

One Honda out. One crayfish in. A good day for a troubled lake.

Do you notice the bad air?

A smog watch is still in effect for the Puget Sound area. East Pierce County tends to get the highest levels of ozone. We're looking for people who notice the smog when it gets bad. We're also hoping to talk to those of you who consciously change your behavior (no jogging outside, driving less, etc.) because of the warnings.

If you've got something to add, let me know.