Color wasn’t yet at its peak, but the day was just too perfect to stay inside. As it turns out, there wouldn’t be many of these for October 2022. Some years October is warm and has that amazing blue sky that seems to only happen in October. So I was extra glad (in hindsight) that I went for this lovely walk around Fallison lake.
It’s a very popular trail because it’s easy to get to and has plenty of parking. You can walk or take your bike (there’s even a bike rack at the parking lot) and there are more bike trails nearby that you can extend your outing with. Of course these stairs are a problem if you’re a novice, but I really liked them because they gave me something different to work with other than the usual trail shots.
While I did spend some time soaking in the atmosphere and the sunshine on the shores of the lake, I didn’t like any of the views because they were boring or blocked so this is basically all the water I have to show you –
It’s at the very end of the lake where there is a bit of a boggy area. I liked the way the shoreline pinched off and framed that far tree. The backlighting is a little harsh, but I think it works ok. The mix of vegetation and colors is a nice change of pace for fall photography.
This shot is more typical of the season I think. It’s a little walkway over what is a very dry bog. I had a nice chat with another photographer while I was here and he mentioned that he’s been watching the bogs in the area and noticed they are very dry. Not worryingly so and for this time of year, pretty normal.
Since there wasn’t a lot of color yet, I tweaked this and a few other shots to advance fall again as I discussed in last week’s post. I think it’s a nice way to show more of a mood than a reality, but still doesn’t look fake or forced. Still, I found myself a bit disappointed that I didn’t arrive for “the big show” as we think of it.
And that got me to fretting about it like I usually do every autumn. That squirming feeling that I’m not getting great shots of iconic fall imagery. I’ve blogged about it before and have tried to combat it in the past, but I still feel it. It’s stupid and this year I really tried to overcome it. More on that in upcoming posts.
But what walk in the woods wouldn’t include mushrooms. Here’s one that didn’t make any of the mushroom round up posts only because I hadn’t gotten to it yet –
They are Pear-shaped puffballs that haven’t puffed yet. They start out whiter than that and fruit on logs. Jeweled puffballs fruit on the ground, but look almost identical. Both are considered desirable edibles, but you have to get them when they are very young and fresh. Cut them open – if the entire inside is very white, it’s good to go. When the spores and flesh inside gets brown, it’s too late. A few more mushrooms from this walk ended up in another post, so that’s it for now. Sorry fungi fanatics.
Recently, I came up with an idea for a new project – Nurse Logs! I just love these little islands of life that you can find in almost all quiet bodies of water like this one on Fallison lake. It’s not the best shot in the world because, again, the light was harsh, but I liked how this log reminds me of a boat and the ripples give the illusion that it might be sailing away. Not sure if I’m ambitious enough to try to ID all of the different things that live on nurse logs, but it might be something to add dimension to the project. As it is I have no idea what’s growing on this one but the colors were nice.
So if you find yourself up near Boulder Junction and want a relaxing walk, Fallison lake might just fit the bill.
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