First rain of the year overnight. I brought in seat cushions from the gazebo. The chairs can stay out for a while longer.
My Sunday drive today was into the mountains and past West Point. Roads winding through beautiful autumn forests with deciduous trees turning yellow and even orange. The light in the fall has its own gentle and melancholy character, low in the sky and filtered through the trees.
The sky grew darker and darker as I climbed into the mountains. I drifted down roads that were more patch than paving and wondered when or if I would ever find a maintained road. Snow flurries began just outside Murphys. I momentarily thought of pushing on through the snow towards Big Trees State Park, but turned around at the chain control sign just outside of town. I took State Highway 4 nine miles down to Angels Camp and met bright sunshine. The end of the drive was a gentle sunny state highway through San Andreas and Valley Springs, looking out on familiar grassland just before the turn of the rainy season.
A Year at the Snake 