A Drive Through the Valley

 Every year recently we have driven back down into the Beaver Valley, to see the fall colours.  The colours this year are very subdued, but we went for the drive anyway.    The best red colours come from the Sugar Maples, which tend to grow halfway up the slope, so that's what we were looking for.

The Amik subdivision is a curving road heading up the escarpment slope, just north of the Talisman property.  Built when Talisman was an active, popular ski resort, it was built up in ski chalets, many of which have been expanded and modernized since.  A number are now year-round homes, but this road gets you up the slope where the Sugar Maples grow.

You could see the colours looking into the woods between the chalets.

I don't usual;y show private homes, but this struck me as too nice not to share.

This Burning Bush was brilliant!

Back down at the bottom just before the village of Kimberley, you get a great view up to Old Baldy.  At the cliff face, the dark trees are cedars, but there are lots of Sugar Maples on the long slope below.

South of the village you get a view up to the hill now known as Eagle's Summit.  Purchased by the Bruce Trail last year this is where a friend has led the effort to design and create a new network of trails leading up the slope and along the top.  The view here is even better than that at Old Baldy!  Sorry about all the wires, but shooting out the front window leaves little chance to avoid that!

We continued up the slope, and every now and then I'd get a view of bright trees looking downslope, even though overall the colour did seem definitely subdued compared to recent years.

Eventually we ended up back at home, where I caught the leaves out back in the evening sun.

And just to give you a comparison, this is the slope just north of Amik three years ago.  Talk about bright  colou