Three Favorite Locations to View the Return of Fall

One of the most inspirational aspects of Mother Nature's grand design for our radiant display of fall colors is their unfailing return every year. Above Nevada City and Grass Valley, the nearby Sierra Nevadas don't offer hillsides blanketed by New England style colorful hues. Still, I cherish intimate pockets of radiant highlights as joyful splotches dropped from The artist's brush that we can find abundantly in a day's outing. If we know where to look.

For many of us, this is the finest time of the year to live in the foothills and make short drives into the Sierra Nevada that we consider our backyard – and love sharing with our neighbors. Hiking is at its best.

This fall, I too have returned, albeit from an un-planned sojourn in a couple of hospitals. Since my first blog a month ago when I reported some of my first sightings of this year's fall colors, not one, but two, surgeons did their magic and gave my heart a tuneup. Even upgraded my 67-years old timer and installed a pacemaker. However, no racing stripes – yet. The surgeon and Mercy General Hospital's learning channel on their TV lectured that my new meter will partner with new meds to counter my "sometimes erratic heart" – especially a breath-takingly slow pulse. I felt an immediate trust with the recommended doctor, Aryana, and invested in the upgrade.

Yesterday, after reading pages of statistics spit out my pacemaker's tiny computer, he okayed my first outing the next day. Today. For my first treat I want to go to some of our most reliable – and accessible – locations. See below for my descriptions and directions.

Tomorrow's planned outing will be modest, but stepped up from today. Melony with her wilderness medicine training will be my backup. We'll pace ourselves over a moderately effortless hike on the Bullards Bar Trail – practically level using the Sierra Nevada's scale of an "easy hike." Then Saturday, Mel and her friend Dave Lawler, geologist, and Laura Brown, outdoor writer for The Union, plus her husband will climb to the top of Nevada County. Mount Lola is the highest point in our backyard. A grand place to look for fall colors and test my new electronic gizmo.

I sure the hope the tiny computer in my new pacemaker is more reliable than my PC.

Tune-in sometime after this weekend when I report on the sometimes equally erratic pace in this year's display of fall colors. In the interim, let me mention three of my favorite spots to catch our hardwoods in fall splendor:

• Cisco Grove Gould Park: The cottonwoods along the South Yuba either are – or soon will be – brilliant yellows arched above the rich blue of the lazy river. Drive right to the sparkling new park in the paved parking lot next to the shiny new vault toilet and picnic tables. It's small and intimate. Placer County Parks did themselves proud. This is a perfect place for young children to frolic under cool sun streaming through the lacy-sheer, leafy umbrella.

Directions:

• Loney Meadows: There are enough aspens on the up most end of the largest meadow for you to warm up your camera. Better yet, an outstanding grove lies on the upper end of the next, smaller meadow about 1/3 mile up the trail to Bull Pen Lake. After a rather easy stroll up the trail, follow one of the cow trails down to the eastern end of the meadow. The large grove dominated by impressive aspen is highlighted by a photogenic, gray granitic cliff on the far side. The split rail fence that borders the grove separating it from the meadows can contribute to pictures worthy of framing. At least, that's my goal. For photos, afternoon lighting is best.

Again in the next meadow that adjoins the small lake scattered aspen in full color become clusters of candles. The lake, adds a nice touch. Or, make a day of it and hike on up to the Rock Lakes. No more aspens lie above the meadows, but under an October sky, you'll make a pleasant day even better.

Directions.

• Lindsey Lakes: Time it right and you'll enjoy aspen in fall colors as soon as you drive up to the small, rustic campground near the dam at Lower Lindsey Lake. Aspen are sprinkled along the north shore to the upper end of the small reservoir. Catch the golden aspen in full display on a clear, October day – especially with a sprinkling of clouds – and you'll be able to get images worthy of putting onto your own website or share with family. For photos, afternoon lighting is best.

Then park at the locked gate on the 4WD road and walk up the mostly graveled road climbing modestly to Culbertson Lake. After checking out the pleasant view from the small dam at Middle Lindsey Lake, continue up the road a few hundred feet until an un-signed, lightly used 4WD track veers to the right and follows up the east side of Middle Lindsey. About a guestimated ¼ mile later the roadway cuts though a grand grove of tall aspen. Continue until the pathway scrambles to the bottom-side of the little, hewed-rock dam for Upper Lindsey Lake. The aspen grove here is tiny, but that much more impressive, against the massive hulk of the red-orange hued flanks of Fall Creek Mountain.

Only a lone middle-aged aspen has found home on the peninsula that pokes into the middle of Culbertson Lake. But the lonely tree is no longer alone. Visibly prolific, dozens of young aspen crowd around its feet. The aspen by itself is not worth the extra jaunt from Lindsey Lakes to Culbertson but the burnt-orange cliffs that watch over the modest reservoir provide enough attraction all by themselves.

Directions.

This year, I missed a prime month of our all-to-short fall season. But with my extended warranty, like our display of fall colors I'll be back next year.

Update: Today, October 16th, 2008, I visited three of my favorite locations for fall displays. None are turning colors very fast. Given the new warm temperatures period we've had since that dandy cold break a week ago, the leaves are not changing much at all in the mid-elevation levels such as the Grouse Ridge Country. Saturday I'll check out our highest elevations. Stay tuned.

However, many of the aspens and cotonwoods are drying out and even turning brown or leaves falling off before they can complete the fall colors cycle completely. This has been a terribly dry summer. Without some gentle moisture soon, then another cold spell, we could have a punky fall season at those mid-elevations.

I hate to even think about the changes as we continue into climate warming. But that's certainly un-appetizing fruit for a totally new blog. A long one.