For this challenge our host Amy has asked us to share images of Autumn Colors. Where I live in Coastal Georgia, the calendar says autumn but the temperature is still warm. Even when the weather cools off, we don’t get the orange, red, and yellow colors we think of when we think of autumn. When we want to see the brilliant colors we travel to higher elevations in October or November.
The images at the top of the page and these next two images were taken on a lake in West Georgia one November.
The following images were taken one October as we took a drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.
I hope you are enjoying your autumn where ever you are.
This July “Seasons” will be the theme for the entire month with a different season featured each week. This week the challenge is “Autumn”.
In coastal Georgia, cool fall weather is always a treat after the sweltering heat of summer. The sweetgrass (muhly grass) that grows here announces autumn with it’s brilliant pink colors.
In coastal Georgia, Muhly grass (sweetgrass) turns a pink in autumn
When we want to see red, orange, and yellow autumn leaves we travel away from the coast.
Fall Colors in GeorgiaVibrant autumn colors on the UGA campusFall colors at Lake of the OzarksFall Colors on Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
In our house, autumn means it’s college football season. We have spent many fall Saturday afternoons at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Georgia cheering on the Dawgs.
After two days of elk watching in Cataloochee Valley we packed a lunch and set out from our campground in Waynesville for a 40 mile drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway in search of fall colors.
The Blue Ridge Parkway is a 469 mile scenic parkway through the southern Appalachian Mountains in Virginia and North Carolina. The northernmost point of the parkway is Mile 0 in Rockfish Gap near Waynesboro, Virginia. The southernmost point is Mile 469 near Cherokee, North Carolina. There are scenic overlooks, picnic areas, hiking trails, and campgrounds all along the way.
Although we have traversed several sections of the Blue Ridge Parkway in the past we had never been on the area in North Carolina north of the Highest Point at Mile 431. On our journey this time we traveled south from Mile 408 at Mount Pisgah to Maggie Valley at about Mile 455.
The first order of business was a picnic at the Mount Pisgah picnic area at the top of a short paved trail. After lunch under the trees we started our journey south, stopping at several of the scenic overlooks. It was too early in the year for the peak autumn colors but a few of the leaves were beginning to change.
Fall Colors on Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
Looking Glass Rock got it’s name because sunlight will reflect off the granite when there is water collected on it.
Looking Glass Rock Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
There was beautiful scenery every where we looked.
Beautiful day for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
We found a few more fall colors.
A few fall colors on the Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
There are many folktales surrounding the Devil’s Courthouse. It was getting late and we decided to skip the trail to the top.
Devil’s Courthouse Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
The picture on the left was taken 8 years ago when we first stopped at the Highest Point of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile 431. The one on the right from this visit.
Highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway
Highest Point on the Blue Ridge Parkway
The photo below is the view from the Highest Point.
Highest Point Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
A few clouds rolled in as we continued south,
Blue Ridge Parkway in NC
Our home base for exploring Cataloochee Valley and the Blue Ridge Parkway was Creekwood RV Park a few miles north of Waynesville and Maggie Valley. Our site backed up to a beautiful creek. It was a perfect place to relax after a day of wandering.
Beautiful Creek behind our campsite
Sitting by the creek was a great way to end each day
Duck in the creek behind our RV
Of course we had to try some North Carolina barbeque while were were there. The Heywood Smokehouse in Waynesville was recommended and the spareribs, chicken, and brisket were done to perfection. And it turns out the owners are originally from Georgia!
Heywood Smokehouse in Waynesville, NC
Beautiful fall weather, bugling elk, scenic drives, camping beside a creek, and delicious barbeque. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Lake of the Ozarks State Park is the largest state park in Missouri. The park has many miles of shoreline as well as many trails for hiking, biking or horseback riding. The rain followed us from Columbia and our hopes of hiking were rained out.
We chose not to pull our fifth wheel on the narrow, winding roads to one of the beautiful waterfront sites in the campground. Instead, we stayed in a big site with a view of the woods. We enjoyed watching four deer come out at dusk.
Time to relax
Henry found this fuzzy Catterpillar
Blondie likes the leaves
Rock cliffs line the shoreline at Lake of the Ozarks and although we were too early for the fall colors to be at their peak the trees were starting to display the beautiful orange and yellow of autumn.
Not all of our wandering is to far away places like Alaska or the Yukon. Sometimes we wander close to home. On Monday, we hitched up the Titanium for a road trip to Auburn, Alabama to watch the south’s oldest football rivalry between Georgia and Auburn this coming Saturday. We decided to take a few extra days and explore a new to us Corps of Engineers park on West Point Lake in West Point, Georgia just off of I-85 near the Georgia/Alabama line. It’s great traveling during the week during the off season. We are almost the only ones here.
R Schaefer Heard COE Campground on West Point Lake Site 113
View out the back window site 113 R Schaefer Heard on West Point Lake, GA
We spent three relaxing nights in site 113 in the campground with no other campers in our loop. The trees were wearing their fall colors and the sunsets were spectacular.
West Point Lake, Georgia
Fall Colors on West Point Lake, Georgia
Beautiful Fall Colors across from our campsite
Sunset on West Point Lake, Georgia
Foggy morning on West Point Lake
Morning Fog
West Point Dam is a short drive from the campground
Looking at our campsite from across the lake
Floating dock next to the boat ramp
Another beautiful sunset on West Point Lake
Our only neighbors were the geese.
Gathering of geese behind our campsite
Geese on West Point Lake
The geese swam by our campsite
We watched the geese in front of our campsite
R Schaefer Heard Campground on West Point Lake is one of three Corps of Engineers campgrounds on the lake. Our site is about 40 feet from the lake and like most COE parks we have a large site with plenty of room between our site and the ones on either side. Our site is a paved, back in site with water and electric hookups, a tent pad, fire ring, picnic table and a beautiful lake view. For more information about the park or to make reservations you can go the Recreation.gov site for R Schaefer Heard
Wandering Dawgs 
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