Searching for Fall Color

Wickecheoke Creek at Lower Creek Road

20 October 2019

On Saturday we went searching for fall color in Hunterdon County. The ride started in Lambertville. It was 39 degrees when I left the house. 

On the way up I drove through areas of dense fog along Route 29. In Titusville I turned off onto a bridge over the D&R Canal and snapped two pictures. I didn't notice until later that the second one was blurry.

Tom, Jim, Ricky, Pete, Martin, and Andrew followed me north along Route 29 to Lower Creek Road. We were going to Upper Black Eddy, with something like 3000 feet of elevation gain in 51-ish miles. 

On the bridge over the Wickecheoke Creek, Jim and I stopped for pictures and to chat with a fellow who was fishing with his young son.

We had a dry end of summer. A lot of leaves have fallen already. It's tough to tell whether we're still early or too late for peak leaf peeping. Never mind that, though. In the cloudless morning light, the colors were plenty good, so much so that I didn't need to edit anything when I uploaded the photos.

We took Upper Creek and Hammer to get out of the valley.

I stopped to take off my jacket at the top of Locust Grove Road. The white horse was a bonus. (Hi, Larry!)

On Route 579 in Pittstown I missed the turn onto Everittstown Road. That gave us the chance to take pictures of our favorite Pittstown sign, and of the 1955 MG in the otherwise empty parking lot.

Everittstown Road:

Milford Bridge shadow selfies:

At Homestead General Store we sat outside, next to a trio of motorcyclists, one of whom talked Jim and Martin's ears off (not that they seemed to mind).

On our way back, Martin had a flat as we were passing the Superfund site in Milford. After years of nothing happening, the site is finally being cleaned up.

We climbed Horseshoe Bend to get back up to the ridge. I think people sensed that the rest of the ride would be easier, or perhaps everyone was just tired, because the conversation got silly.

It started with Pete using the phrase "endless assholes," which, he said, would be a good name for a rock band. I said mine would be called "Yeah, Right," and our first album would be "Wired Weird." Or the other way around.

Tom said, "Mine would be called 'Free Beer,' because then everyone would show up."

I let the guys get ahead of me at the top of Locktown-Sergeantsville Road so that I could take pictures. Tom slowed but decided not to stop. "The power lines ruin it," he said. "Yeah, that's okay," I told him, and found some creative ways to leave the lines out of view.

We never did find the fall color we were looking for, but it sure was fun trying. Except for the headache. I had a headache nearly the entire time, the kind that gets worse with exertion. Only when we stopped did it go away, and then I forgot to take the meds that would have knocked it back entirely.

Jim was wearing the most excellent socks. When I got home I ordered myself a pair.