Chasing Autumn
THIS year would be the year....the year when I would go on the Blue Ridge Parkway with the sole objective of getting great fall foliage pictures. I mean, every photographer should have some great
fall photos, especially one who lives so close to these beautiful mountains. I got some pictures last spring and I like them...but the trees were still naked and there wasn't much color except for the sky.
I suppose I've taken for granted where I live. Oh, I have always thought it is beautiful, but I've never really paid a whole lot of attention to when the fall colors are at their best. It does vary from year to year, of course, but it should be sort of around the same time....maybe. I think the first time my boyfriend and I went up on the Parkway this year was in October, either just before or just after my birthday. That's around the time of the Fall Foliage Festival in Waynesboro, so I thought it should be peak time for the leaves. It was a pretty drive, but almost everything was still green. Not much color in evidence. We drove from Afton south and got off near Vesuvius. There was a bit more color the further south we went, but not that much.
The next time we went was the next week. I didn't want to miss the colors because I'd waited too long! Again, not much in the way of orange and red and yellow, but the clouds were spectacular! I felt like I was in Jurassic Park and wouldn't have been surprised to see a brontosaurus lift its head through the sea of mist. I got some lovely pictures and I was happy with them....but they still didn't have the autumnal feel that I was chasing.
We made a couple more runs to check out the colors and each time we were somewhat disappointed and didn't stay long. I have to hand it to Rob for being a good sport, though.
The last weekend of October, I wanted to try again. Rob had had enough of the parkway for a while, so I decided I'd just drive up there myself and check it out. It was mid-afternoon and it felt like fall. I can't say that I was bowled over by the colors, but they were certainly more evident than before. And the drive was peaceful, tranquil, lovely. When my radio station abandoned me, I put Pandora on Queen and it was awesome. I saw a guy skateboarding on the road. I saw a woman who had set up a full easel on the should of the road in order to paint the foliage. I saw a woman dressed in boldly striped orange and maroon overalls--obviously on her way to the Virginia Tech game and not afraid to express her loyalty in her fashion choices. I stopped at several overlooks, including my two favorites, Three Ridges and Twenty Minute Cliff.
The colors this year weren't as brilliant as I've seen in the past, but I loved my solitary drive. Don't get me wrong--having somebody with me is awesome and more fun, but being alone gave me a lot of time to ponder. I recommend both experiences. If you've never been on the Blue Ridge Parkway and you have any means of remedying that, I advise doing so. I've only been on a small part, but I'm already thinking of how I could convince Rob that next year, it would be awesome to drive it all the way to North Carolina...
I suppose I've taken for granted where I live. Oh, I have always thought it is beautiful, but I've never really paid a whole lot of attention to when the fall colors are at their best. It does vary from year to year, of course, but it should be sort of around the same time....maybe. I think the first time my boyfriend and I went up on the Parkway this year was in October, either just before or just after my birthday. That's around the time of the Fall Foliage Festival in Waynesboro, so I thought it should be peak time for the leaves. It was a pretty drive, but almost everything was still green. Not much color in evidence. We drove from Afton south and got off near Vesuvius. There was a bit more color the further south we went, but not that much.
The next time we went was the next week. I didn't want to miss the colors because I'd waited too long! Again, not much in the way of orange and red and yellow, but the clouds were spectacular! I felt like I was in Jurassic Park and wouldn't have been surprised to see a brontosaurus lift its head through the sea of mist. I got some lovely pictures and I was happy with them....but they still didn't have the autumnal feel that I was chasing.
 |
| Twenty Minute Cliff |
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| Three Ridges |
We made a couple more runs to check out the colors and each time we were somewhat disappointed and didn't stay long. I have to hand it to Rob for being a good sport, though.
The last weekend of October, I wanted to try again. Rob had had enough of the parkway for a while, so I decided I'd just drive up there myself and check it out. It was mid-afternoon and it felt like fall. I can't say that I was bowled over by the colors, but they were certainly more evident than before. And the drive was peaceful, tranquil, lovely. When my radio station abandoned me, I put Pandora on Queen and it was awesome. I saw a guy skateboarding on the road. I saw a woman who had set up a full easel on the should of the road in order to paint the foliage. I saw a woman dressed in boldly striped orange and maroon overalls--obviously on her way to the Virginia Tech game and not afraid to express her loyalty in her fashion choices. I stopped at several overlooks, including my two favorites, Three Ridges and Twenty Minute Cliff.
The colors this year weren't as brilliant as I've seen in the past, but I loved my solitary drive. Don't get me wrong--having somebody with me is awesome and more fun, but being alone gave me a lot of time to ponder. I recommend both experiences. If you've never been on the Blue Ridge Parkway and you have any means of remedying that, I advise doing so. I've only been on a small part, but I'm already thinking of how I could convince Rob that next year, it would be awesome to drive it all the way to North Carolina...
 |
| Three Ridges |
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