Fall in Utah

After 25 years of living in the East, I wasn't sure I'd ever find anything quite so lovely as a Virginia or Pennsylvania autumntime.   The humidity fades, the temperatures drop, and the bright yellows, oranges, and reds of autumn start making their appearances.   It's glorious and I look forward to it all year round.  

Coming here to Utah, I expected everything weather related to be more extreme than the East.   I expected and wasn't surprised by the super hot dry summer.   Yes, it's nice that it's not humid, but the average summer day here was still 10-20 degrees hotter than the average summer day in the East, which means that it's still not fun to spend time outside in the heat of the day.    We haven't done a winter here yet (since my BYU days), but I remember  that it stays colder and snows more regularly here.  And worst of all, apparently life doesn't stop when it snows and you still have to go places.   Now before you all go laughing at my cold wimpiness, please remember that I grew up in the great state of Minnesota and I have experienced more than my fair share of extreme cold (the likes of which we will never feel here in Utah).  However, also please remember that I have fully raised my kids in places where the world pretty much shuts down whenever it snows and  I've grown rather fond of the random excuses to stay home for a day or two scattered through the winter.  

I guess I'd never really given much thought to spring and fall here in Utah.   

BUT....it turns out that Utah autumns are pretty spectacular as well.    AND....it turns out that Adam has the same penchant for taking sky and scenery pictures that I do.   

Here is some pictorial evidence of the beauty of fall in Utah...

This fairytale scene was taken along our hike to Adam's Falls a week or two ago...

Here are a couple scenes from my walk this morning.  I was completely enchanted by the streaks of color amidst the clouds that made it look like God had gotten out His paintbrush to paint an extra bit of beauty into the day.   

Meanwhile, Adam was down at BYU taking these pictures of the sky within 10 minutes of me taking mine....

Here's another gorgeous one he took recently from near his dorm...

This scene only a few blocks from our house caught my eye the other day and had me snapping this while sitting at a stop sign....

The trailhead to Horsetail Falls isn't too far from our house, but it's all uphill, so it's a hike that gets our blood moving (in a good way).  We are totally enamored with the views on the way back down, so it's a trek we take a couple times a week.  Here are a few shots we've taken over the last few weeks...

And here are a few more from a recent hike that Adam took with friends...

So, what's the conclusion?   

It's simple actually...

Fall is officially my favorite season no matter what state I am in and being outside as much as possible in the autumntime is the way to be!   

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!