Fall Colors & Bounty in the Midwest

     Like it or not, the cooler nights and the changing of the leaves are coming.  If you live in an area that Mother Nature presents to you all four seasons, the trees are just starting to show a little color and all the pumpkins in the fields are being gathered up and making there way to the grocers and peoples porches. The sunny days are making way to cooler nights as we ease into Fall.

     Living in the Midwest, the colors of autumn can put on quite a display.  Sometimes right in your own backyard. However, sometimes a weekend trip this time of year is not only a great way to get away for a "mini vacation" but also a great time to soak up the splendor of the colors before the snowflakes fly.  There are so many great places in the Midwest to visit that have the perfect backdrop to display fall foliage. Residents in the northeastern states also have a bounty of colorful landscapes this time of year.  Living in the heart of the Midwest, my focus here is places nearby for Midwesterners. Several Internet searches reveal several options for weekend Fall getaways.  It is amazing that there is even a web site dedicated to fall foliage: 
 www.foliagenetwork.com/ It is a delightful diversion to visit this site and

even if you can't have a fall trip away, the photos on the site are beautiful. It covers all regions of the United States and separates it by region. The report from the Midwest is consistent with what we have seen in the last few weeks: the trees are turning a little later than usual. The site states: "October is just around the corner and it is starting to look that way in much of Wisconsin and Michigan.  These locations are reporting low color (11% - 30% change).  Elsewhere in the region, color change is at or below 10 percent change." 

   The www.foliagenetwork.com/ also provides information for viewing the colors of autumn like places to stay and they even have web cams of the various locations. It is a great place to be inspired by the changing of the seasons and saying good-bye to summer with a smile. Check out this interesting site at: www.foliagenetwork.com/

Another search brings a terrific article from the pages of Midwest Living magazine: "30 Great Midwest Fall Color Getaways" It lists locations and photos with a sampling of the landscapes to be seen in that neck of the woods. I picked some of my favorites to share here.  Some of these places I have seen, some I have yet to visit. Many of the descriptions and photographs truly inspire one to pack up the car, the camera and head to some of the most scenic spots in the Midwest.

Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Here is just a sampling of the places they selected:

Michigan: Keweenaw Peninsula and the Mackinac region,
Indiana: Brown County
Wisconsin: Door County and Lake Geneva,
Illinois River Road National Scenic Byway,
Missouri: St. Louis
South Dakota: Custer State Park
Cleveland: Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

I am truly intrigued by this last entry, I did not even know there was a National Park in Ohio.  Looking at the pictures and a visit to their web site, ( www.nps.gov/cuva) really makes me want to visit someday soon!

So embrace the beauty of the changing season, enjoy the palette of colors and say good-bye to summer with a smile. No Regrets. She will return again.