Fall Outing

Ididn't have to work last Sunday, and MaryLou didn't have church, so we decided to take a little trip into the mountains and see whether the fall follage was out. We invited Maureen and planned to make a day of it. We went to the Alpine Loop above Timpanogus. I discovered that while I don't get carsick when I'm doing the driving, I don't do too well as a passenger.

The leaves were just beginning to turn, mostly the scrub oaks and box elder trees. Only a few of the quakies were turning. The colors weren't as bright as I had hoped. It's been a very dry summer. That's usually the case when the colors are a bit on the dull side. The picture on the bottom was taken as we went on the Mirror Lake highway, the one on the top was on the Alpine Loop. We went on to Evanston.WY. We stopped there for lunch.

We've had a disease in the lodge pole pines aroung the state for several years. I was really sad to see how bad it has spread. There are many trees that are like dry sticks, and many others with the red, dry needles of the disease. It almost looks as if there are as many diseased trees as there are healthy ones. I'm not sure whether loggers could get to the trees on the steeper slopes or if they would even want to. To be truthful, we could probably use a fire to clear out the diseased trees. Of course, that would take out the healthy ones too.

We probably would see more color in another week or so, but with me working weekends and gasoline still a little too pricey for another trip,I guess this will have to do for this year.