September 22-28, 2012                         back to Fall Galleries page

 

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Sept 22, 2012

The first day of Autumn in the High Country brought bright blue skies and a cool breeze. It was a perfect day for the local 5k, the Stick Boy Mayview Madness race. As runners made their way through town, I headed over to Memorial Park. The maples in the park are really lighting up, ahead of most trees in the area.

Memorial Park

elev. 3580 ft.

Several of the trees on Main Street are displaying warmer, brighter hues. These maples are by the Last Straw and Blowing Rock Market.

Fall is here, and beautiful Blue Ridge weather is cooperating in full. Lately, folks can be seen relaxing downtown in the breezes each afternoon. The chairs in this photo weren't unoccupied for long, I assure you!

 

 

 

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Sept 23, 2012

Our nieces were in town, and that always means a trip to Tweetsie Railroad. The views from the train provided a good opportunity to show the state of most of the slopes in the area. Still mostly green, but with colorful hints that the color scheme will soon shift.

 

View from train ride at Tweetsie Railroad

elev. 3355 ft.

Photo on the left: Main Street Tweetsie with still-green hills in the background.

Photo on the right: Hillside View from the Chairlift to Miner's Mountain.

 

 

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Sept 24, 2012

Another bright day beckoned me to take a short drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway. Price Park is a popular stop on the Parkway, and even early in the day on a Monday, there were plenty of cars at the picnic area. I stopped there to see how the big maple on the corner is coming along. It usually sports vibrant color for the season, and it has already gotten started!

Price Park

elev. 3380 ft.

As you can see in the second image from the Price Park picnic area, green is still the dominant color at this elevation. I'll head up to some of the higher ridges tomorrow to see if the progression is any farther along.

 

 

 

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Sept 25, 2012

Color usually starts at the higher elevations, so a drive along the Parkway can reveal the earliest pockets of fall foliage. The places that I usually go to see the first hints of crimson and gold are the overlooks at Boone Fork and Green Mountain Creek. I'm not sure if it's the temperatures by the water, or the conditions of the air in those particular spots, but I'm always impressed by the resulting vibrancy and intensity of the color there. Right now, green is still the dominant color, even at the Boone Fork Parking Area. But you can see that the bright hues of autumn will soon take over that ridge in the background!

Boone Fork Parking Area

elev. 3905 ft.

The morning came clear and chilly, as it has for the last several days. And though the views from the Parkway don't yet feature autumn color, they are as breathtaking as ever. I couldn't help but stop at the Wilson Creek Valley overlook just ahead of this spot to take some pictures. (To see larger versions of these images, right click and select "View Image.")

  

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Sept 26, 2012

The neighborhood roads in Blowing Rock are lovely. Today's photo was taken in the afternoon on Goforth Road behind the country club. The late-day sun emphasizes the warmer hue of the foliage as it fades from green. This season should be a good one!

Goforth Road in Blowing Rock

elev. 3640 ft.

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Sept 27, 2012

More blue skies... fall in the High Country brings the best weather! I've been driving by this maple for days, wanting to stop to take a picture. The color is so vibrant, and I love the way the green still lingers. This is right at the intersection of Old 321 on Highway 321 between Blowing Rock and Boone. You can still see plenty of green on the trees surrounding it. Some trees just can't wait to put on a show!

Highway 321, North of Blowing Rock

elev. 3425 ft.

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Sept 28, 2012

Our friend David took this picture for us from Chestnut Drive in Blowing Rock. The maples in the area are really turning fast, now!

On Chestnut Drive

elev. 3580 ft.

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