Fall Colors in Yosemite Valley

“It was a beautiful, bright autumn day, with air like cider and a sky so blue you could drown in it.”   Diana Gabaldon

“Autumn, the year’s last, loveliest smile.”   William Cullen Bryant

The last day of my 2018 Fall Color Trek was a visit to Yosemite National Park.  I drove in via my favorite route, Highway 40, passing by Wanona and then heading into Yosemite Valley. Fall colors lined the road, putting on a beautiful show.

Cloud’s Rest from Tunnel View

A Glimpse of Bridal Veil Falls

El Capitan

I love relaxing along the Merced River

These deer refused to pose!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Quotes about the Wonder of Autumn

“Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking successive autumns.”  George Eliot

“October is a symphony of permanence and change.”  Bonaro W. Overstreet

“Even if something is left undone, everyone must take time to sit still and watch the leaves turn.”   Elizabeth Lawrence

“Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree.”  Emily Bronte

“Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.”  Stanley Horowitz

“Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.”   Faith Baldwin

“No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one Autumnal face.”   John Donne

“In the garden, Autumn is indeed the crowning glory of the year, bringing us the fruition of months of thought and care and toil. And at no season, save perhaps in Daffodil time, do we get such superb colour effects as from August to November.”  Rose G. Kingsley

“I’ve never known anyone yet who doesn’t suffer a certain restlessness when autumn rolls around.  We’re all eight years old again and anything is possible.”   Sue Grafton

 “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”   Albert Camus

“How beautiful leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days.”   John Burrough

“Autumn asks that we prepare for the future—that we be wise in the ways of gathering and keeping.  But is also asks that we learn to let go—to acknowledge the beauty of sparseness.”   Bonaro W. Overstreet

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the fall.”  F. Scott Fitzgerald

“Fall has always been my favorite season.  The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”   Lauren Destefano

 “If a year was tucked inside of a clock, then autumn would be the magic hour.”   Victoria Erickson

“There is harmony in autumn, and a luster in its sky.”   Percy Bysshe Shelley

FINDING FALL COLORS

If I needed a reason to go on a Nature Trek to find some fall colors to rejuvenate my soul, I had one.  I am not teaching online this fall so did not need high speed secure access to the internet, which is not always feasible from hotel rooms.  And I would not have to be grading way too many essays, so could devote my time to the solitude and contemplation found in Nature.  So why not go on a road trip?  Besides, I had a new dash cam to play with, trying to capture some videos of the great roads I planned to travel.

Lassen Volcanic National Park

This little road trip took me on a loop from Bakersfield to Bishop to Reno to Redding to Fresno and then back to Bishop and home.  The Lassen Volcanic National Park that was on the route was closed already for winter travel, so I only saw about 10 miles of it—I will have to try visiting there again sometime.  I also was grounded for a day due to a steady all-day downpour.  The sky was all dark grey clouds and the mountain roads I would have been on were twisty and steep, so I opted not to press my luck.

Tioga Pass, Yosemite

On the whole, the trip was a great success!  Most of what I saw were lots and lots of pine trees, given the elevations I was traveling.  But some splotches of fall colors stood out to brighten the drives.  I even traveled across the Tioga Pass in Yosemite again, even though I figured there would not be much fall color.  It offered some dramatic views that I will share in a later post.  The rain that punctuated several days of my trip did not diminish the glorious wonders of the drive either.  I like driving in the rain, especially when the rain is so needed in California to fight against the five-year drought.

The first stretch of fall colors popped up along California Highway 395 outside of Bishop, California, as captured by my dash cam.  I’m having fun learning to make use of this new little toy.  Light and shadows really are evident in the video, but it captures the colors rushing past.

I’ve visited Yosemite National Park in the fall before, so I knew there would be some impressive color to appreciate.  This time, the colors came through even on a rainy day.

I’m not sure if this little video caught the leaves falling steadily from the trees as a breeze swept through the area, but it was a great little show.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

QUOTES ABOUT AUTUMN’S BEAUTY  & WONDER

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”    L. M. Montgomery

“Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.”    Albert Camus

“Fall has always been my favorite season.  The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”    Lauren DeStefano

“Spring passes and one remembers one’s innocence.   Summer passes and one remembers one’s exuberance.  Autumn passes and one remembers one’s reverence.  Winter passes and one remembers one’s perseverance.”   Yoko Ono

“Autumn is the hardest season.  The leave are all falling, and they’re falling like they’re falling in love with the ground.”   Andrea Gibson

“No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace as I have seen in one autumnal face.”   John Donne

“Autumn. . . the year’s last, loveliest smile.”   William Cullen Bryant

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house.”   Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”   Jim Bishop

“There is something incredibly nostalgic and significant about the autumnal cascade of autumn leaves.”   Joe L. Wheeler

“And I rose in rainy autumn and walked abroad in a shower of all my days. . . .”   Dylan Thomas

“Delicious autumn!  My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”   George Eliot

“I saw old Autumn in the misty morn stand shadowless like silence, listening to silence.”   Thomas Hood

“Autumn burned brightly,  a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.”   Faith Baldwin

“Autumn is the season of change.”   Taoist Proverb

WHERE DO YOU GO TO SEE THE BEAUTY OF AUTUMN ALL AROUND?

Autumn, Appreciation & Apple Pie

I LOVE THIS TIME OF YEAR!   

For one thing, the colorful leaves are stupendous.  But it is not just their colors.  I love what they represent:  the beauty inherent in change, the excitement of moving on, the importance of preparing for a new beginning. By their very presence, the colors say slow down and notice the beautiful details that erupt unexpectedly around us. They suggest that we, too, should slow down and give into the change that is inevitable every year.  We need to move on, no matter what is holding us back.  Although cold and snow are on the way, spring is not too far behind.  Enjoy this moment of transition and abundance. 

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, autumn is the perfect time to start reflecting on the year thus far and cataloging what all there is to be grateful for. 

Here are some of the things on my gratitude list:

One of the best things about this time of year is all the fall colors that delight the senses as well as the chance to escape into nature and enjoy the season.   

The cooler weather is such a great time of year.  What is better than needing to snuggle under an extra blanket?  And taking walks in the cool brisk air?

I really like my Kindle.  I was not sure I would, but it is convenient, helpful, and easy to use.  It gives me the feel of reading a real book as I flip the pages.  And I can even watch an occasional Star Trek or X-Files episode at night when I want to unwind. 

I am happier in my work over the last six months, and that is letting me take more time off to just do simple things like bake brownies and take treks into Nature and sleep in a bit on nice cool mornings.  Naps are good too.

Dad is generally healthy and definitely aware and alert, so I get to build new memories with him on every visit—and I am able to visit weekly.  I made him trick or treat for some of the Halloween candy that he loves!   

Christmas is just around the corner—and I love, love, love Christmas! I am even planning a Christmas Open House, taking it on the road to be closer to my dad, so he can attend. Soon I will be pulling out the decorations and ornaments, thankful for all the memories they hold—and the hope of the season! 

But I am not crazy about shopping and crowds and wasting time standing in lines.  So I will just avoid the malls and order any gifts I am going to give online.  One of the good things about technology being so intimately integrated into our lives is that I can avoid hassle and congestion.  And the gifts I will give are the ones I WANT to give, not the oh-I-probably-should-give-something-because-everyone-else-is-this-time-of-year gifts.  Realizing that the gifts are not the season is something else to be thankful for.

I am developing a relaxation and reflection routine that will help keep me calm, aware, and appreciative.  Of course, this enhanced outlook reminds me that it is okay to move away from situations and people that bring frustration, stress and negativity into my life.

I always tend to read for escape—murder mysteries mostly.  And I enjoy that.  But I am also making time for reading “better” books, like Barbara Kingsolver’s Flight Behavior and Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief.  Making that time in my schedule means I have been successful slowing down, not rushing around and overbooking my time.  Taking care of myself this way is a good thing.  I appreciate the balance and spirituality that are more conscious elements of my life these days.

Chocolate.  How can chocolate not be on my list?  It is luscious and healthy—just read what those doctor’s reports say about dark chocolate.  And this time of year, as part of the holiday celebration, I buy some good German Chocolates as well as the truffles and chocolate pecan clusters that Mom always loved.  And hot chocolate in the cooler weather is just perfection. 

My list is incomplete, but the list itself does not really matter.  It is the act of appreciation, of gratitude that matters.  Being appreciative puts things into perspective, helps show what is really important—and those reminders say the great big world is wonderful, but it is the little things, the relationships, the time with people that matter. Enjoy life.  Do not take yourself so seriously.  Take responsibility for what you do, but remember that you can say no to things and people that bring you down.  And remember to laugh—a good chuckle works wonders. And enjoy the beautiful colors that make the world so glorious in these cool autumn days. 

In conclusion, I am sharing a comment on autumn and appreciation from an old Calvin & Hobbes (1995):  

 

What is your take on this time of year?  What are you thinking about lately?  What are you grateful for?  Me, I am adding apple pie—warm with some ice cream on top—to my list!  Why is it that Hobbes is always right?

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

 “Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns.”   George Eliot

 “It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life.”   P. D. James

“Autumn carries more gold in its pocket than all the other seasons.”   Jim Bishop

“I cannot endure to waste anything so precious as autumnal sunshine by staying in the house. So I have spent almost all the daylight hours in the open air.”   Nathaniel Hawthorne

“Autumn burned brightly, a running flame through the mountains, a torch flung to the trees.”   Faith Baldwin

 “Fall has always been my favorite season. The time when everything bursts with its last beauty, as if nature had been saving up all year for the grand finale.”   Lauren DeStefano

“I loved autumn, the one season of the year that God seemed to have put there just for the beauty of it.”    Lee Maynard

“I was drinking in the surroundings: air so crisp you could snap it with your fingers and greens in every lush shade imaginable offset by autumnal flashes of red and yellow.”    Wendy Delsol