It’s October 1 so I guess this makes it fall. Astronomically it was September 22 this year so we’re double covered. Fall’s warm colors and comfortable daytime temperatures remind me summer play time is over and it’s time to get into a little more serious to carry me through the winter months. Here in Southern California it’s the end and often the peak of fire season. I like to say summer isn’t over until the Santa Ana winds blow, a major contributor to fanning those fall fires. I expect them to show up anytime now and signal a shift in the calendar that doesn’t show up in other places where the cool night air and shorter days cause the leaves to turn those beautiful warm autumn colors.

I’m thinking about those colors here in October. In California that means a visit to the Sierra Nevada mountains, specifically to the eastern side of the range where June Lake, Bishop, and Lundy Canyon never disappoint. My first purposeful trip to photograph the aspens at the Eastern Sierras was 2016. I wrote about it here: https://historywithdave.org/2016/10/03/fall-time-is-color-time/. You’ll notice I changed the blog site with a new name and a few additions. The old address will take you to the new page or you can use www.historywithdave.org,  go to “Travel with Dave” to view the old postings.

Thinking about fall photos brought me back to some of the same ideas I wrote about eight years ago. Shutter speeds, using a polarizer, and the rest, all that is there still applies. Last year I returned to Lundy Canyon. The look was both familiar and radically different.

The aspens were still there in all their glory with their shades of yellow and light orange. Large swaths of aspens were broken off about 10’ off the ground. When I inquired about the forest being snapped off at a consistent level the locals told me the huge snowfall during the winter resulted in a spring avalanche that did all the tree damage. It was surreal.

So, I’ve added some photos of last year’s visit to Bishop, June Lake, and Lundy Canyon. I hope they serve as inspiration to go out and experience fall in your greater neighborhood and print something from your journey to put on your wall.