October 14, 2016

Road trip in autumn

Bridge

Every fall, I travel to the mountains for a long weekend with a bunch of women friends. This year, as we were figuring out who was going to go in which car, Birding Woman said, "I want to take a slow route and take photographs along the way. Want to come with me?"

I love a long, leisurely drive, especially on a sunny day in fall. We stopped at a lake where the water was so clear I could see little fish swimming by. We walked paths slowly enough to find woolly bear caterpillars — and make our predictions for the winter based on the fact that the bands of rusty brown were unusually long. We tramped through picnic areas where the wooden tables were already propped upright in anticipation of this winter's snow. We stopped to listen to birdsong, with Birding Woman identifying every bird she heard. We visited an inn that was set high above a lake. By the time we arrived at our destination in the mountains, we were filled with sunshine and sated with the brilliant colors of fall foliage.

Gone fishing

12 comments:

Barb said...

How wonderful your weekend sounds - the leisurely trip, the sights you saw, the coming together with friends. Enjoy the rest of your fall. I like seeing your deciduous trees turning. At high altitude where I live, most of the aspens have already shed their leaves, and we've had snow a few times.

Elephant's Child said...

That sounds like heaven on a stick.

Anonymous said...

Sounds like a wonderful journey on the way to another beautiful adventure. Have a great time!

Jeanie said...

Autumn road trips are the best kind and when they are with good friends, they are even better. It sounds just terrific!

Far Side of Fifty said...

Sounds like a fun day for you! I hope you have a wonderful retreat! Those trees are beautiful! :)

undine said...

So beautiful! Your posts make me homesick for that part of the country.

Zhoen said...

Me too. What undine says.

Phil said...

Gorgeous!

BrightenedBoy said...

Writing and photos so beautifully descriptive--as always.

Unknown said...

I love seeing wooly caterpillars! What did yours predict? I'm hoping for some snowy days here in Pennsylvania. I love a cozy winter. These 80 degree fall days are not what I had in mind!

jo(e) said...

According to the caterpillars, we're going to have a mild winter this year. It's certainly been true of the fall ....

Unknown said...

Ok. I saw an all black wooly caterpillar this morning....anyone know what that might predict?