Fall Colors and Goofy Kids

Two weekends ago, the kids and I went for a quick trip up the Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive in Great Basin National Park. We stopped at Mather Overlook to enjoy the views, and the kids were instantly drawn to the telescopes, although they had to get creative to get high enough to look through them.

 We could see a sprinkling of color on the mountain as the quaking aspens started turned yellow.

 The kids weren't so interested in the views. They were ready to play. And Desert Boy's cowboy hat provided the entertainment they needed.

 Desert Girl wanted to give it a try.

 Oh, goodness. Can you tell that Desert Girl enjoys having her photo taken?

 Sorry for the kid photo overload, but I just couldn't resist with their expressions.

 It's so nice to go hiking with them when they're in a good mood!

Next we drove to the end of the road. I let the kids choose which trail they wanted to see, and they chose the quarter-mile Island Forest Trail. Despite being the shortest trail, it still took us about an hour!

 Our slow progress was the result of looking closely at lots of things, like the Engelmann spruce pine cones.

 And taking time out to pose by some aspens. With our tongues out.

 And lie on the ground.

 I tried taking some artistic shots from interesting angles, but really didn't do that well. This is one of the better photos.

 The goofy kids kept coming up with new games. (If you're wondering about the red bag, it's what Desert Boy decided to carry instead of a backpack. I don't think it had much useful in it, but he carried it the whole way, so I didn't care.)

 Then a big cloud came overhead and released some sleet. That provided a bit of excitement.

 A few minutes later, the sun was out, highlighting the golden aspens.

The colors along the Scenic Drive seemed more muted this year. In my next post, I'll show what they looked like a week later (this past weekend).

Where do you like to go to look at fall colors?