A view from the patio. Our white oaks provide a dash of golden orange to set off the green forests and blue mountains.
Several years ago Peggy and I were in the middle of a year off when we were treated to most of what America has to offer in fall’s brilliant display of leaves changing color. We began our adventure in late August. Our trip had taken us into Alaska and the weather was changing. The geese were getting restless, preparing for their journey south. We decided to migrate as well. Since our next scheduled stop was in Florida for Thanksgiving, we had three months to wander.
Our route took us down through the Yukon Territory and into British Columbia’s impressive national parks of Jasper and Banff in the northern Rockies. We then made our way east through Alberta and Saskatchewan, dropped down into North Dakota, and then traveled through Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York. We arrived in the New England states of Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine at the height of leaf peeping season. We then journeyed south through the Mid-Atlantic States into the Blue Ridge Mountains. The trees were spectacular the whole way. We were following fall, so to speak.
Fall in the Rockies. I took this photo on the western side of the mountains in Colorado.
Fall along the Blue Ridge Highway.
Fall view looking out on Blue Ridge Mountains.
Our rather mild weather in Southern Oregon doesn’t produce the magnificent colors of New England, but we get a decent showing. I kept promising myself I would get out and take photos but writing and procrastination interfered. When I finally managed to be out and about with my camera, there were more leaves on the ground than in the trees. I was left with the last colors of fall, but they were still impressive.
Trails snaking through our five acres are named after our grandsons. Connor’s Cutoff, hidden under leaves, does a good job of capturing fall colors.
This photo follows our road down the hill and past the white oaks.
An Oregon Maple adds a touch of yellow to our yard.
A close up of the Oregon Maple. I like the contrast provided by the dark limbs.
These red berries decorated a neighbor’s yard. As I recall from my youth in California, we called them California Holly.
Our drive into the town of Jacksonville, Oregon provided more fall views.
Another view along Upper Applegate Road on our way into Jacksonville.
Our property fronts on the beautiful Applegate River. I took this photo on one of the bridges across the river on Upper Applegate Road.
NEXT BLOG: We will visit one of America’s premier parks (where I happen to be as I type this), Pt. Reyes National Seashore, north of San Francisco, California.
Wandering through Time and Place 
Better late than never – glad you caught it, quite beautiful. Nice kind of neighbourhood 😉
Thanks. And yes it’s a very nice neighborhood. Wild yet relatively close to amenities. –Curt
Beautiful.. One the things I miss most about living in the south is lack of seasons, fall being my favorite. Growing up in the north I used to anxiously await the leaves changing colors. I have been to the Blue Ridge many times and these pics bring back all those wonderful memories.
Thanks Lynne, glad you enjoyed the photos. The Blue Ridge Highway is special. I even bicycled it once and also have backpacked there. –Curt
Breath-taking photos! I tried really hard to get a particular job in Oregon last year. Charming Baker City. But I’d settle for almost anywhere on the west coast or the southwest.
Thanks for sharing the pictures. You two must have had a wonderful time. 🙂
Thanks. We lucked out on the Oregon bit. Peggy and I were doing some genealogical research in the area… and looking for a place to land after three years of wandering. I found a number of dead relatives and a new home. 🙂 –Curt
Ah Curt, how lovely Autumn is through your eyes. And all due props to New England, but I think Oregon can give them a run for their money! 🙂 Gorgeous photos. ~Terri
Thanks, Terri. Peggy and I were laughing about how lucky we were to capture what we did. The rain and wind came along the next day and pretty much did in fall. –Curt
Pretty colors are like a magnet for your camera lens.
You got me… (grin)
So beautiful. And after what I saw in Missouri and Kansas, my seasonal leaf envy isn’t quite as bad as it usually is. Can you still burn leaves there? The only thing better than the color is a cool, crisp afternoon with the faint smell of burning leaves.
I’ve still got a photo of Dad and me in the front yard. He’s been raking, and I’m in the pile of leaves. It was such fun to run and jump into them. Mulchers and leaf blowers just aren’t the same.
Yes, people still burn leaves here, and brush, and trees, and… (grin) So far I have encouraged our leaves to go down into our canyon and play. I figure they are happily mulching away down there. As Peggy mentions, our grandkids have a lot of fun with the leaves. –Curt
Curt, this comment has nothing to do with fall colors, and I don’t normally do this sort of thing. But this was one of those sidebar links that I couldn’t resist. And if there’s anyone who can relate to the incident, it’s you. Check it out:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2013/11/01/80-year-old-man-survives-after-falling-off-a-cliff-while-fighting-a-bear/?iid=nf-article-mostpop1
I’ve been told that a sharp whack across the nose will discourage a bear, James. 🙂 Fortunately, I haven’t had the opportunity to try it out. Screaming loudly seems to work when one is standing on top of you. Normally, I threw rocks at the black bears of Yosemite. Playing dead is recommended. I’m kind of like the old man. I’d prefer to go down fighting. Thanks for the lead. –Curt
We discovered that you can “sled” down our hill using a cardboard box as the sled and the leaves as a “snow trail”……it was pretty wild and fun! Peggy
The grandkids could get up almost as much speed as you would on a sled. –Curt