Ready to relish a cold and crunchy fall season

I love fall, but not for the pumpkin-spice-flavored drinks.

I prefer piñon coffee when the mornings turn chilly. Speaking of chile, I prefer mine green when the leaves turn gold.

I may have discussed it before, but I bemoan the fact that for most of my working life I’ve been too busy in the fall to really get out and enjoy this spectacular season. Sure we’ve taken our road trips in early October to do a little leaf peeping. My late wife’s birthday fell on Oct. 4 so we had a good excuse, but we didn’t go often enough or long enough.

When we lived in Colorado, fall weekends were great and the leaf peeping was on the way to work. Still didn’t find enough time for fall fishing and hunting trips. But I did manage a few. In resort towns we did have a little bit of dead time between the time the leaves dropped and the ski resorts opened. By then the woods were crunchy and cold and the trees were naked and grey.

This fall has been very slow in coming. We’ve been “blessed” with some of the hottest September and October days I can remember, and, yes, once again I’m up to my ears in work just as the days get nice. At least there’s been lots of football this fall; unfortunately I haven’t even felt compelled to take along a hoodie, let alone a down jacket and long underwear.

Hopefully the pace will change before another fall rolls around. I want to go watch birds migrating back south from a blind on a crisp morning. Heck, I don’t even care if I hunt them as long as I can take my time and enjoy them.

I want to stroll or drive through an aspen grove to a spot where a meadow opens out with golden grass on both sides of a sparkling river. Find a spot to set up a camp chair or just find a ponderosa to put my back against and let the rays of a late-morning fall sun warm my face while I gaze on the first snow dusting on a distant peak.

If my back’s feeling up to it, I’ll wander down to that sparkling river and see if I can entice a trout through its shimmering surface. Then I would probably just release him back to his watery bed.

When the season gets a little later and the leaves are off, I might just turn upland bird hunter again. My sister won’t let me chase the covey on her land but I wouldn’t want to. It would be more fun to try and find them on public lands somewhere.

I’m going to relish a good fire in the fall too. Fires outside in a camp or on the patio or fires in my own living room fireplace. Seems I’ve been too busy or too tired at night to lay a fire.

Who knows, someday if I get tired of piñon coffee maybe I’ll even try a pumpkin-spice latte.

Karl Terry writes for Clovis Media Inc. Contact him at:

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