Leelanau Hills, Water, and Fall Color

I headed out to take pictures on another gray afternoon, but the weather report had indicated the sun would break through around 3 pm.  It didn't exactly turn out that way, but there was still plenty of fall color.  For the most part, I focused on some of the vistas from the many high points in the county.

On my way to Northport's biggest hill, I noticed the lovely reflections of fall color at the Mill Pond.

The colors had become more muted in the last few days at Braman Hill, but they still set off the landscape leading to the Bay and Northport Point.

Omena Bay is always lovely, but, again, the colors had begun to lose their vibrancy.

Continuing south on M-22 towards Suttons Bay, I'd heard the hills atop Dumas Road provided a vista of the whole bay area.  Here Stoney Point stands out in the foreground, with Old Mission Point behind it.

Continuing to hope for sunshine, I headed across the county on M-204.  I could see the fall color was lovely around Lake Leelanau from a hilly neighborhood near M-22.

Between Glen Arbor and Empire, I decided to enter the Pierce Stocking Drive.  My first stop was at Alligator Hill, with Glen Lake in the foreground, and Little Glen in the background, separated by M-22.

My last (and favorite) stop of the day was at North Bar Lake, with Lake Michigan and the Empire Bluffs in the background.  On my drive back to Northport, I thought about the beauty of the color this fall, but bemoaned the lack of sunshine...at least until this weekend.

As I neared Leland, I noticed there was a narrow break just above the horizon in the dense gray clouds.  I raced into Fishtown, and was able to capture a sliver of the sunset...the only sight of the sun the whole day. 

Peaking Fall Colors Trump the Gray Skies

As a youngster, my family often went for rides on Sunday afternoons.  My dad would drive us all around the countryside.  We'd listen to the radio and he'd often sing or whistle along with whatever was playing.  Sometimes we'd go visit our cousins or we'd watch the planes take off at the airport.  We'd often end the afternoon at Sullivan's for ice cream.  Dad's favorite flavor was black sweet cherry and mine was orange sherbet.  It's hard to believe that he's been gone 38 years as of yesterday.  These family afternoon rides were probably the genesis for two of my own loves:  driving around the Leelanau Peninsula and eating ice cream.  The dogs know it's ride time whenever I pick up my camera bag.  They run to the back door, jockeying for position, not wanting to be left behind.  And there's not a better time for driving around than during fall color season.  Whether subtle or bright, this year's fall colors have been a delight. 

Vistas Burst with Color

The sunshine and blue skies have made the fall colors really pop!

Fall Begins to Show its Colors

Even with a week of wet, gray skies, fall colors are beginning to show themselves.