In Search of Fall Foliage

If I sit in my driveway long enough, fall foliage will inevitably find me all on its own, but seriously, where’s the fun in that?

Those were my thoughts early last week, as I pondered one last outing in the RV before having to close it up for the long winter months ahead.

The weather just hadn’t been cooperating. Trying to coerce Mother Nature into providing a couple of convenient sunny days in between twice weekly physical therapy visits and the already scheduled appointment to get Roada (the RV) washed and waxed, had seemed increasingly unlikely as temperatures continued to drop and rain continued to fall.

Of course, if you read my last blog post, you know how that “wash & wax” appointment played out.

So, there we were, at 7:30 am, in downtown Anchorage, with a dirty RV and no place to go.

Simply heading straight back home was not an option. It was a glorious sunny day! If we couldn’t get our expected day-long spa treatment, we could certainly find other ways to amuse ourselves in Anchorage.

I set my GPS to direct us to Kincaid Park, a huge and well-loved playground just minutes from downtown Anchorage – and one I had yet to visit.

Being right on the shore of Cook Inlet, fall colors had not yet peaked here, although you can see “termination dust” along the top of Sleeping Lady (Mt. Susitna) in the background.

In fact, it still looked remarkably summer-like with soccer games in full swing, bikers, hikers and dog-walkers abounding and acres of green grass beckoning to picnickers.

Ronni and I enjoyed a leisurely one-mile loop along one of the groomed trails, taking a fun detour across a beautiful and very scenic raised wooden bridge. It was from the bridge that I was able to take in the lively soccer game being played far below.

But, there were sadly way too many off-leash and poorly controlled dogs for my comfort on this busy Saturday, so we chose to move on.

By the way; why is it that so many people walk their dogs on leash until they pass the clearly posted signs stating “All dogs must be on leash”, and then, once past the signs, immediately take the leashes off and let them run?

No rant intended here … I have nothing against well-mannered dogs whose owner wants to play frisbee with their dog in the park. Been there, done that for many years. But there are better places, especially if your dog does not have a solid recall or has a tendency to rush up to strangers and their on-leash dogs. 🤷‍♀️

Anyway, I was in search of fall colors, so after an hour or so of [mostly] enjoying the scenery and the activities, I bid adieu to Kincaid Park and continued my journey.

As I headed north on the Glenn Highway, I didn’t get far before a lightbulb went off and I thought, “if I just went up a bit in elevation, I might find the colors I was seeking …“. Gee, I wonder where I got that idea from?

Impulsively taking the off-ramp for Eagle River Loop Road, I pointed Roada’s sturdy metal nose uphill. It was only moments before I found myself engulfed in an enchanted gold-gilded paradise.

I admittedly made slow progress, since I found it necessary to pull over to better appreciate the view and snap pictures every few minutes.

THIS was what I’d been craving. If I had to accept that fall was indeed here, I wanted the beauty of the season, and I wanted it NOW.

Fortunately, there are plenty of pull-offs amply sized for an RV, spaced regularly along the aptly named Eagle River Road.