Postcards From the Lake: A Fall Color Tour

Our year at the lake has drawn to a close. The house is buttoned up for the winter, the car stuffed to overflowing with all the things coming home that we brought up for the summer (and a cat) and outdoor furniture tucked safely into the garage or the house till next spring. Oh, I hate leaving. 

It has been an odd last visit. There were so many plans that didn't happen -- road trips that didn't get taken, work that didn't get done. Having pneumonia will do that to a person. I was knocked for a loop and it was a big one. By the time I was well, the weather had pretty much gone from glorious to cold and damp. A good time to be inside; not much good for anything else. But....

. . . But before the weather changed, on the day when I was finally doing better for the first time in a week, Rick and I went on a bit of a color tour. I didn't think it was peak yet -- until we hit the road. I may have underestimated for it was beautiful.

Rick knows every back road from his cycling and so we went on some of his route, seeing some areas new to me.

We ended up at Treetops Resort, which I've shown you here in past years when we've gone to look at color. Treetops is a golf and ski resort and at this time of year the color at the top of the slopes by the clubhouse and restaurants is something special.

I stayed at the top of the hills (I knew I'd never make it back with my breathing!) but Rick went down for a bit of a walk and said the views down there were just as good.

The chair lifts are idle now but in another couple of months they'll be running non-stop. I bet the skiers wish they could see this view!

We were there in late afternoon and the sun was coming in from the west, lighting the trees like fireballs. Looking far afield one could see layer upon layer of color and with each shift of the sun, each view was more dazzling than the next.

It was a pleasant evening -- about 70 degrees -- so we sat on the patio and ordered the Happy Hour special -- three tacos and a beer for $9. (I had the chorizo tacos and they were delightfully zippy.) It was the first day I'd felt really happy in about a week!

After dinner, a bit more walking about. It was hard to tear ourselves away!

But eventually we hit the road and headed back to the cottage, first stopping at Big Lake. I've been north all my life and never knew where Big Lake was. Now I do!

A sunset ride home...

...and more sunset, the very last of it, when we arrived home. 

I didn't think there would be be other days like that this year. Not here. 

I was wrong... but that's to come!

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