Wowie First Fall Colors
Trip Start
Jul 11, 2011
1
24
31
Trip End
Dec 31, 2011
What I did
Drove to Look for Fall Colors
Flint, Michigan
Saturday, October 15, 2011
We decided to get in the car and go up 75, but we ended up going north on 23.
Kathy Here. A Wow of a Fall! There are hardly enough adjectives to describe our first fall in Michigan. The pools around here closed right after Labor Day and the stores filled with sweaters and coats. People began to speculate about what winter would be like. The temperatures were still warm so these events seemed a bit early. By the middle of September two small trees in our area had changed color as early signs of the coming fall. The trees that turned yellow went first and the others appeared to have been spattered with orange and red paint. As we moved into October each day revealed more trees changing color. One of the most amazing color on some trees is a neon pumpkin color that just shouts at you in the sun. Just when you think you have seen the most beautiful colored trees or bushes, the next day gives you more varieties to look at.
Northville is a town that decorates a lot on Main Street. Now it has a series of skeletons that are clothed and set up to make various scenes from weightlifters, skateboarders, a firefighter taking a cat out of a tree, and a couple dancing under a giant spider to describe a few. Most businesses and homes have added pots of chrysanthemums, scarecrows, corn stalks, and pumpkins to their places. The local Apple Cider Mill opened the first weekend in September to sell apples, cider, and spiced donuts. In the morning when they bake the donuts the whole area smells delicious.
We drove toward Flint one Sunday on the recommendation that there was more color the more north you went. We picked a highway going north and found that there was good color and lots of lakes along the way. We were just about deciding whether to go to Saginaw or Frankenmuth (celebrates Christmas all year long) when we spotted a sign for a Cracker Barrel Restaurant so we pulled in for breakfast – why not!? We decided to turn home after we ate knowing that a trip to Frankenmuth in the coming months would not take too long. As we got closer to Northville it became apparent that we had a lot of color and even brighter colors than we had seen further north. With the blustery winds and rain we are having now we will be losing this color. Now, from day to day, we can see more and more trees that have lost all their leaves.
Today is the big game between Michigan University and Michigan State and most people who are out have the requisite blue or green sweatshirt to show their allegiance. Tonight everyone will be a Tiger fan as we watch the next game with the Rangers in Texas. We haven't learned about hockey yet except that the team has a winning season so far and the name Red Wings comes from the aviation plant out here that used to make the airplane wings. (That's Mary's story, and she's sticking to it!) The Lions also are undefeated but they play the 49ers this weekend and that status might change.
