I drove up East Canyon on Oct 5th to do wide angle photography, then again Oct 11th with Mom, then again on Oct 16 and then Oct 19.
The colors were close to peak on the 5th, and at a peak with Mom; that day I photographed only the empty bird's nest filled with two golden leaves.
Scroll through to see how the canyon changed in three days, between the 16th and the 19th.
The golden aspen is starting to go skeleton.
The white trunks and branches are now highlighted against brown undergrowth that used to be green or red.
They still look like they are wandering, or even marching down the hills.
And yet...to look just a bit to one's right, there are still green aspen, circled protectively by fully leafed gold trees.
Purple mountains, blue mountains, snow caps, orange, brown, olive, gold, green, yellow, gray, black.
God used all the colors in His crayon box!
I never get tired of the zig zag parade of aspens spilling down the mountainside.
Along the roadside golden flowers on dusty green stems billow and pillow the canyon edge.
Sometimes the aspen get going in a stampede!
Golden or naked bare, they stick together while they go down the hill.
Sometimes I wonder if "short brown" is a bit jealous of the showy " tall golden".
My last view as I left the canyon.
Silhouetted bird nest.
Where are the baby birds nesting tonight?
Not here.
Not anywhere near here I think.
Three days later.
The colors are thin now...
Compared to how they looked on Oct. 5th!
Paths are more easily seen.
Overhead a hornet's nest stands out, no longer hidden by leaves.
The aspen still march, but their color is dull now.
They are worn down to mere skeleton form now.
I park and walk along the roadside, looking at the smaller autumn scenes.
This is a flower.
I swear it is down, each tendril looks like a feather.
What an unimaginable flower!
As I walk, convertibles and motorcycles pass and then this vintage car comes.
Deep green.
Reminded me of a friend's old Mercury truck that in an early life had sported green paint as well.
I walked looking for a tree, an apple tree that I had seen out of the corner of my eye as I drove.
How could there be an apple tree up here?
Did I dream it?
No.
There it was, bearing the most beautiful red/green apples I have ever seen shining in the sun.
The apples looked perfect.
The apple tree grew on a slope that was nearly 80 degrees sharp.
I'd need a friend to hold a rope as I rappelled down the hillside after the apples.
Lucky deer...bet they eat some every day!
The few still vibrant aspen groves seen through a now vibrant oak tree.
It is odd how the oak leaves often look completely dried up and dead brown, then suddenly the leaves seem to turn golden and glow after all.
Not dead.
Not dead at all!
As the sun set, the red soil caught the light and began to glow around me.
The hazy in the air robbed the scene of fine detail, yet also added a mysterious light too.
3 comments:
Beautiful! I think I need your camera...or your lenses...or maybe just you...to capture the fall beauty out here. We were in Shanendoah National Park today.
My! Your photography is superb! Those apples looked so amazing. I hope that the deer are able to enjoy them. Yes, autumn is fading out to the dull November browns. Let's hope for some more fall delights before then depending on our focus.
How amazing to spot the apple tree with apples hanging off the branches! It looks so out of place but welcome to the animals. Your photos are wonderful. I've been out West in the Fall and the aspens are a wonder. We don't have those trees here in the East but we're hoping to drive and see some color this week! Hugs!
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