Last Saturday we went for an off-road ride, and I’m so glad we did. Autumn has finally done its thing around here. Every mountain I looked at was wearing a blanket of color: gold, rust, orange, and little pops of bright red tucked in here and there. I grew up seeing this view more times than I can count, and it never gets old.
The sky stayed gray the whole time, but I think that helped. With no bright sun washing everything out, the colors just sat there looking rich and deep.
From up top
Once you climb high enough on these trails, the whole world opens up. Ridge after ridge, each one a little bluer and fainter than the one in front of it, all the way out to the edge of the sky.
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Up close
Closer to the ground, there was plenty to see too. A field of tall tan grass with a wall of red and orange behind it. A bright green baby pine standing out against all that color. Skinny pale-barked trees on a bank, holding on to the last of their yellow leaves.
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Old friends on top
No trip up there would be complete without saying hi to the horses. They’re always up there, roaming free all over the top of the mountain, and we stop by to visit them from time to time.
This time they were extra curious and walked right up to us. One dark bay strolled over like it owned the place. A black horse with a white smudge on its forehead got close enough for a nose-to-lens portrait. A bay had a white stripe running down its face. And one looked about two seconds from dozing off right there in the grass.
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Worth the dust
Rides like this remind me why I love living back here. You don’t have to go far to find something beautiful. Sometimes you just have to climb a little higher and look around, and maybe say hello to a few horses while you’re at it. The leaves won’t hang on much longer, so I’m glad we got out there when we did.