McCall In the Fall3 min read time

OK. Yea, I know it’s kinda late for a post about fall. Especially living in the high country. But it’s been so WARM! Still, the fall colors really are pretty much done now, and I’m just now getting around to posting something about it. Jeez, the pace of Life keeps getting faster! But fall is supposed to be the season for slowing dowwwnnnnn… if you were to follow the earth’s cues of the Northern Hemisphere anyway. Being creatures of the earth as we are it’s not a bad idea, right? And after the recent exhausting political events, I’m certainly ready to turn my gaze to more soothing vistas.

With the longer nights, I love it that I can almost sleep in and still get sunrise time with my camera. This is our lake late in the fall. Because the morning temps are cooling, the lake will give off a glorious mist, giving up its warmth from the summer sun. Preparing for…ice…eeek! Before the time changed, I only had to be out here by 8:20 to get the first sun-kiss of morning rays on the tree tops.

The trees slow down too. Their sap slows, their colors change, and of course the deciduous trees even hibernate. I feel myself slowing like that. Got cave?

The river flows can hardly be called a flow on the rivers of Idaho in this season. It makes for a great time to photograph reflections. This image is one from my earlier days in photography, but one of my all-time favorites.

It’s really a fun moment for me when folks from around here see this piece and say, “hey, I know where that is! I see that off Warren Wagon Rd. on my way home from Bergdorf!” We don’t get much in the way of reds in the trees around here, but the huckleberry bushes are ablaze with it.

This is another iconic spot just outside of town, taken off the historic Sheep’s Bridge. Again there’s the slow flow of the river allowing reflections, and the lovely rising mists obscuring the busyness at the far bank.

One of my favorite times to photograph in the fall happens with the first snow. Typically it’s only in the higher elevations, leaving the colors to shine below. In Alaska I remember this being called Terminal Dusting, signaling the absolute end of fall and beginning of winter.

Thank goodness it’s not quite that radical here on the 45th parallel in McCall. We can still revert to full on Fall and enjoy the last gasps of color for many days after the first snowfall on high:

With the color almost gone, what’s a photographer to do? Why turn to black and white of course! Stay tuned for just that in the next post as we explore this high mountain country in black and white.

And, as always, there are many more images to enjoy in the Gallery if you click here; and your shares of this post on your favorite Social Media is much appreciated! Thank you!