Roadtrip Images

Fall comes early in the North country. We’re used to that. But in August? It just seems early to me.

Hints of Fall

As Karen and I were finishing up our to do list, I noticed that some of the trees were not as green as they were before. Not turning color yet but not as vibrant green either. Then one by one we started seeing isolated trees starting to turn. Fall was approaching. And this was all happening in August! By the end of the month we had trees like the one above that were in full color. Everything else was still mostly green but these few trees were like early warning sentinels letting you know that Fall was coming. It just seems early this year.

As a photographer, Fall is one of my favorite seasons. The vibrant colors in the trees, the cool, crisp mornings. It’s a season of change. And change can be good. Normally for us, Fall would mean a trip to the U.P. of Michigan to enjoy the Fall color spectacle in the Hiawatha National Forest and the Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. This area has some of the best Fall color anywhere. This year however we’re doing something different.

Heading West

The time has come for us to finally get this continuous roadtrip going. We finished all the items on our list that kept us in one place over the summer and we are now en-route to the western National Parks. Yay! This year we will be experiencing Fall color in the Grand Teton and Zion National Parks. Both are outstanding locations for fall color and the color peak is at different times allowing us to do both.

It feels good to be on the road. As we were going over the Mackinac Bridge heading into the UP, it really felt real. This wasn’t a short term trip this time. We were heading west and wouldn’t be back in Michigan until next Spring. I also felt it in the wallet as we paid a $19 toll at the other end of the bridge! Cars are only $4. Oh well, small price to pay for the freedom to head wherever we want.

From Northern Michigan, there are two routes to take to head west. Google Maps will take you south around Chicago and then on I-80 west. For the same distance you can also go up “over the top” and go across the UP of Michigan, down through Wisconsin and catch I-90 west. We chose that route. No contest. Going around the south side of Chicago with the never ending construction and traffic was just not in the cards.

Changing States

Prior to visiting the parks we have to make a stop in South Dakota to take care of some business. We need to become South Dakota residents! As full time travelers, we still need to declare a state to domicile in. Only a few states allow you to be residents (and have a drivers license) and be gone all the time. Florida, Texas and South Dakota are the most popular with full time travelers. Michigan, our current state, does not allow this so we have to change our residency. We’ll be taking care of this over the next few days. Hopefully the process goes smoothly.

So, till next time…