Saturday, October 31, 2015

Splendid Color at the Tunnel of Trees

Early in October a friend and I decided to take a road trip to the Tunnel of Trees near Harbor Springs.  We didn't know exactly when the color there would peak, but we planned it for the last Saturday in October.



The forecast for that day was 100% rain and we wondered if it would be worth making the drive, but we decided to set out anyway.



M-119 runs on a high bluff alongside Lake Michigan and is a spectacular vantage point, even  on a cloudy gray day.



Entering a forested area, it didn't take long to see why this route is called the Tunnel of Trees.



Besides the colors within the wooded tunnel, there were vistas of color on the many hillsides.



It might have been a bit past peak color, but it was still a beautiful drive....even with gray skies.



There were only a few places to stop along the way and view the color from the bluffs, but when we stopped others had the same idea and were snapping pictures too.



When we got to the end of the highway at Cross Village, we went to the Lake Michigan beach, also showing fall color.  We'd hoped to eat lunch at Legs Inn, but it had already closed for the season. 



Ready for lunch, we headed back towards Harbor Springs with skies darkening.  Even though rain had been forecast at 100%, we'd hardly had a sprinkle until we were almost back in town.

5 comments:

  1. It looks like you hit the colors just perfect. I've rode my Harley through the tunnel of trees twice but never with color. I always wanted to go through the tunnel towards sunset, with the sun coming across the lake in to the trees. It's a very nice trip coming up through all the small towns heading to Cross Village and just a short distance to the bidge, Thanks for sharing.

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  2. It looks like you hit the colors just perfect. I've rode my Harley through the tunnel of trees twice but never with color. I always wanted to go through the tunnel towards sunset, with the sun coming across the lake in to the trees. It's a very nice trip coming up through all the small towns heading to Cross Village and just a short distance to the bidge, Thanks for sharing.

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  3. Thanks for your comment, Mark. I imagine it would be a thrilling ride on a Harley, with all the twists and hairpin turns. Hadn't thought about a sunset trip, but that sounds like it would be lovely too. Sis

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  4. Lovely collection of scenes from your Tunnel of Trees drive, Karen. I love it that the color can still be so great on a cloudy day!

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  5. Thanks, Jan. I like that cloudy days still show the color too. In fact, I think many of the fall days that I've been out shooting have been gray days. You take what you get and it's still lovely.

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