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Tag Archives: fall colors

All the Colors

Sky and I had a nice walk in the hills yesterday. I think it was the first hike this year where we did not encounter anyone else. It seemed like such a luxury after all the days of busy trails. Even at midday, the colors were astounding and nothing beats the light this season. There were layers upon layers of color from the various plants and trees and water and sky and distant hills. Oregon grape is notoriously difficult to photograph so I tried the same plant in sunshine and shade. The aspens were all colors of yellow to orange to dried up and brown.

Wind and rain and maybe snow are in the forecast so these days are probably numbered.

I made lots of pictures of Sky too. You will see them soon.

Good Dogs Out On the Trail

A few members of the Good Girls’ Club got together to enjoy a fall meeting/walk recently. Topics on the agenda included fall colors, sticks, pine cones and cold water. Since Luna no longer attends these meetings, there were no notes taken so we will never know what decisions were made.

Fall Images

Fall is finally here with cold, frosty mornings, occasional fog and sometimes rain although it remains oddly dry and dusty. Fall colors are finally coming on here in the valley. Here are a few images from our hill.

Fall Camping

The girls and I had one more camping trip in early October. Due to unseasonably warm weather, fall colors were few and far between. The light was amazing though. Every morning, I took my coffee to the beach and watched the sunlight spread across the mountain and the tall trees. Sky and Luna both posed for photos. Luna managed to go for walks the first four days but by day five, she was tuckered out and did not really want to do much. I think she was relieved when we left the next day. However, she still wants to go camping. She loves the smells and the lake and just being out and about. The best thing about that trip was that we mostly had the campground to ourselves. Hardly anyone else was camping. The worst thing about it was that somewhere a fence or gate had failed and six cows freely roamed about. They would parade through at least once a day. Sky got real good at chasing cows and Luna backed her up with barking.

One More Fall Hike

This is my favorite trail, I’m pretty sure. I can return to it multiple times during a hiking season. It does have the very worst road though. It’s a place where the sub alpine larches are enchanting in their early summer greens and amazing when they turn golden in the fall. Pikas are frequently heard and sometimes seen while crossing the talus slopes. Earlier in the year marmots let loose with piercing calls to frighten even the bravest dogs and people too. Now they are underground. The pikas continue to harvest greens to dry in their ‘hay’ piles and then store under the rocks for the long cold winter soon to come.

At the trailhead, the wildfire smoke was thick – we could taste it as well as smell it. But we’d driven all the way so we headed out and gradually, there was less of it but it was always present. While I am not quite ready for winter to set in, it’s the only thing that will quell the wildfires burning in the mountains throughout the northwest.

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