Fall...Medicine for the Soul.

by Kelly

"What would you think about taking a little road trip to go look at fall foliage?"  This is what my husband, Tripp, asked me Friday night. We had come back from dinner and Yolatti (our Friday night ritual), and we were downstairs in the basement watching Gold Rush on television.

{I know...serious party animals we are...but all I can say is that at least it wasn't Finding Big Foot.}

Anyway, as I had been feeling kind of croupy, I just laid there on the couch in a cough medicine-induced stupor.  I think I grumbled something to effect of  "can we wait to see how I feel tomorrow?"

{Please...try not to be jealous.}

I guess I should probably back up here just a little bit and share with you that if it was up to me, I would probably never venture more than five miles from my house.  Because truly I am happy to putter around the house for days on end. But Tripp...well he is my explorer.  

Thankfully, after a good night's sleep, the next morning I was feeling much more like myself.  And after two giant cups of coffee I was ready to hit the road.  So I grabbed my camera and off we went.

Well so before we set off on our afternoon road trip, Tripp called and invited his mom, Penny, to come along with us. And the thing about my mother-in-law is that she just has a knack for knowing about all kinds of backroads and little shortcuts.  My husband gets his love of adventure from his momma.  Anyway, after a quick pit-stop for gas, we were on our way. 

Now I know a lot of folks wouldn't think of eastern Oklahoma as a fall foliage destination. And maybe for the past few years, considering the drought that our state has suffered, that was true.  But I have to tell you, much like many of you who've been sharing your gorgeous fall photos in our Flickr pool, we Okies are experiencing one of the prettiest fall seasons that I can remember.  One of the reasons we wanted to get out to enjoy it.

As it turned out, Saturday was a beautiful day...lots of blue sky and warm sunshine.  But there was also just enough of a chill to the air to make it feel like fall.  And it made for a truly beautiful drive.

Well so our first stop was at the Cherokee Landing campground...it's right off of Highway 82, just before you cross the bridge over Lake Tenkiller.  From the water's edge, we could appreciate the lovely patchwork of fall color along the Cookson Hills.  The added bonus was watching a graceful Blue Heron skimming across the water.

After that, we made our way across the bridge and headed north on Highway 10, the twisty, two-lane road that runs nearly parallel to the Illinois River.  A few miles up the road, Penny sat up from the back and pointed out a gravel road that led up to the Elephant Rock Nature Park.  And once we got to the top of the hill we were greeted with breathtaking views of the surrounding hillside.

Pretty amazing the perspective one can get just by getting off the beaten path, no?

So after that little off-road adventure, we continued heading north where we then turned off down towards Sparrowhawk Village.

For approximately 10 miles, I sat in the front seat and oooohhhdd and aaaahhhhdd at the scenic drive. Every five minutes asking Tripp to stop so that I could get out to take 'a couple' of pictures.

It was at this point that Tripp was probably secretly wishing that my camera battery would die or my SD card would fill up. "How many more pictures you got on that thing anyway?" 

Can I tell you, though...it was such a perfect day.  And as the afternoon wore on, the light just kept getting prettier and prettier.  I just can't imagine any more wonderful place to experience fall than right there in the middle of the woods. Surrounded by nature.  

As it was starting to get late, we decided to make our way back home. But not without first stopping at the Hanging Rock Camp. During the peak summer months it is a campground/boat launch point for campers who are planning to raft down the Illinois River. But on that perfect Saturday, we had the whole place pretty much to ourselves. A wonderful opportunity to get up-close and personal with the scenic Illinois River.  This time of year so quiet and serene as compared to the often wild summer rafting parties.

So since we at FOL are setting aside the month of November for the practice of gratitude, I thought I might use it as an opportunity to share some of  my own.  Of course I could offer up gratitude for the beauty of nature...for the stunning colors of fall and the beautiful light.  But today I thought I would also share my gratitude for my wonderful husband.  For his adventurer 'ying' to my homebody 'yang'.  For not getting annoyed every time I asked him to pull over to stop. 

And especially, because he knows that sometimes, getting out of the house is just what the doctor ordered.

Yes indeed...fall is good medicine for the soul.  I highly encourage you to get out there and soak it all in.

Until next time, Kelly