What Autumn Should Look Like

Having spent this weekend beachbumming in OC, I had no idea that autumn had begun. No shocker really, as I gave up the seasons when I moved to Southern California where it’s always summer. And I’m not complaining.

But I grew up in Washington state where there is no question when autumn has arrived. It is, in my humble opinion, the most beautiful time of year in my home state. When I was a kid, my dad – a nature and landscape photography enthusiast – would drive the family all over the Pacific Northwest to photograph the seasonal change from summer to fall. He’d take us to parks, lakes, rivers, botanical gardens and college campuses, and capture incredibly vibrant images, particularly of leaves and trees.

I didn’t fully appreciate this until I was older. I still have a strong aversion to being in cold weather (I simply don’t like it, hence the move to SoCal) but I can certainly appreciate the beauty that often comes with it. Here are some photos from two of my favorite fall destinations in Washington state.

L e a v e n w o r t h

My family goes camping a lot, and Leavenworth is one of our favorite places to go in the fall. It’s Washington’s own little Bavarian village, and holds the largest Oktoberfest celebration outside of Munich. For us, it’s most notable as a stunning place to watch the autumn season set in…leaves of red, orange, yellow. Leavenworth is, in fact, home to Washington state’s leaf festival, which takes place this weekend (Sept. 28-30).

Here are a few pictures my dad and I took on our trips to Leavenworth in autumn of 2009 and 2011.

M o u n t R a i n i e r

When I came back from my world travels last year and was bumming around my home town, it occurred to me I’d never gone hiking at Mount Rainier. It’s only the most iconic landmark in the state I lived in for two and a half decades, sheesh. So I took two trips up there, one with my parents and one with my cousins. Here are some pictures from both trips (September 2011).