Autumn Around the Tahoe Basin

Sights and Smells of Autumn

 

Autumn is a pure delight for the senses. The sights and smells of autumn arrive in the changing leaves, the crisp air, and the heavenly smell of a pumpkin spice latte. The colorful swirling leaves are personally my favorite part of fall. Whereas spring is colorful on the ground with wildflowers popping up everywhere, autumn’s riotous colors abound everywhere around you. The trees garner the most praise and photographs, but also the mountain ash that turns bright red and the alder and willow bushes dripping in gold all cry out for our admiration.

Welcome to Fall

 

I never actually call it autumn. To me it is fall. The aspen leaves fall, the temperature falls, and hectic summer schedules fall away. Pine cones fall, pine nuts fall (roasting on my deck as a quick snack), and pine needles fall. Definitely, it’s FALL.

Fall is self-described as CHANGE. The crisp morning air is charged with a certain expectancy of cooler days and possibly chilly nights that nag at us to get those pine needles raked and get that wood stacked! The subtle smell in the air hints of decay. Pine needles and falling leaves cover the forest floor, merging into a thick layer of musty smells that mushrooms thrive in during autumn.

As autumn slowly descends we get that well-deserved cooler weather, the changing leaves, and fun holidays. Fall is the best time for all the delicious comfort food from pumpkin spice lattes to Thanksgiving dinner, there’s always something good to eat in autumn. Soup season is in full swing. There’s nothing better than a big bowl of warm soup on a chilly day. As the harvest season comes to a close, the last of summer’s vegetables find their way into a big pot and simmer all day merrily, with bread baking in the oven—the smells are swoon-worthy.

I also love how cozy fall feels. It’s finally cool enough to break out the sweaters which are incredibly enjoyable after sweating all summer. There’s nothing better than snuggling up with a blanket and a good book when the weather gets chilly—just layer on a comfy sweater, thick socks, and flannel leggings, perhaps light a fire in the wood-stove, and settle in with a good book or binge-watch your favorite shows.

 

Why Do Tree Leaves Change Color?

 

As the days start to get shorter and the temperatures cool down, the leaves of deciduous plants start to change color. The green pigment in the leaves starts to break down, revealing other colors, commonly yellow, orange, and red.

In summer, chlorophyll dominates the leaves which makes them appear green. The process of photosynthesis produces chlorophyll. Then, when the days start getting shorter, this process declines and the bright greens slowly fade back and the other colors start emerging, the yellows, golds, reds, and oranges.

The weather plays a role in these changes, as the days stay warm, and nights get cooler, it affects the sugar production which feeds the leaves. This, in turn, dictates when we see our trees change and how long the color season will last. If the weather goes below freezing for too long, the trees will shut down prematurely and all we get are brown leaves falling to the forest floor.**

**I learned this in High School sometime, in a class probably called Meteorology, by a teacher I can’t remember, but my sister insisted that I come up with a more precise citation other than “South Tahoe High School — Year Unknown”, so I checked the facts at The Weather Channel: www.theweatherchannel.com.

 

Where are Those Colors?

 

The upcoming changes in color get all the locals buzzing about the fall splendor to come. Even though I love fall, the very first hint of yellow on my aspen, or red on my maple invariably comes as a shocking surprise. Usually, sometime after Labor Day, locals start speaking of where the color is starting to change: that particular grove on Luther Pass that turns slowly but ends in spectacular reds, or up on Monitor Pass which always starts earlier than in the Basin, showing off her endless expanse of golden foliage—who has driven up there to check?

Or they whisper giddily of the tight knot of aspen in Cathedral Meadow by Fallen Leaf Lake that garners particular praise and awe. And the groves around Spooner Lake and up North Canyon and at Marlette Lake are all very worthy of a good hike in the crisp air. Hope Valley raises the bar high, with astounding color everywhere, as pictures of the cabins in the aspen with the backdrop of Red Lake Peak make the rounds on social media. So much color to share!

And don’t forget the non-native color in neighborhoods and around local businesses. The non-native sugar maple is a favored tree to plant in yards and turns more varied shades of red, or salmon, and some even turn purplish. Such a delight! Smaller bushes and ground cover all lend to the overall grandeur that autumn lavishes on this mountain paradise. Where is your favorite place to soak up the dazzling light bouncing off the changing leaves?

 

Will This Autumn Be Warm or Cold?

 

The frenzy of the summer tourist season unofficially ends after Labor Day Weekend. It used to be late September when the first hint of autumn would arrive in the Basin; usually coinciding with the Fall Equinox, as dictated by the calendar, but hints of autumn seem to arrive earlier and earlier each year, following hotter summers to boot! After another HOT summer, our thoughts have now turned to the prospect of an Indian Summer. The perfect Indian Summer has cooler mornings, light breezes in the afternoons, raging colors ramping up in the aspen groves and meadows, and the sky is the most impossible blue you could ever imagine.

We speculate on how long color season will last: will we get to lavish in that highly coveted Indian Summer, or will it just start snowing before the leaves even get a chance to turn? September storms can unleash our first measurable snowfall; as much as a foot or more in some years. If it’s still relatively warm, the white-flocked mountains make for a dramatic compositional background for the green/gold/red/yellow/orange of the ever-changing trees, willows, grasses, and everything else that will eventually succumb to dormancy except for the evergreens plants and trees.

Indian Summers are truly the best that Mother Nature offers the mountain dweller. After a long, hot, summer filled with frenzied tourists, lightning that threaten forest fires, too many mosquitoes and biting flies, yellow-green pine pollen everywhere, and the constant hum of road noise, Indian Summer is when locals like to relax and take back our trails, meadows, mountains, and beaches. We definitely deserve it!

Fall brings much-needed rest for all of us. It’s time to breathe deeply and relax into the coming months of autumn. A time to pause before the hurried rush of the Holiday Season and the task of readying the yard/house/car/self for winter. (Where did I put that box of sweaters?)

 

What Other Activities Do We Enjoy?

 

Besides the glorious leaf peeping when October arrives, the Kokanee Salmon begin their run from Lake Tahoe up Taylor Creek, the outflow of Fallen Leaf Lake. Kokanee turn red after they spawn and start dying, adding to the golden hues overhead and to the bellies of the bears plumping up for the next season: winter!

During the Kokanee run, an annual Salmon Festival is held at the Lake Tahoe Visitor Center at Taylor Creek where you can gorge on BBQ salmon and learn all about the Kokanee, a land-locked salmon that live in Lake Tahoe for about 3-5 years, then take their last swim up Taylor Creek to the spot where they were born and where the females lay their eggs for next year’s hatch. It’s fun for kids and adults alike to walk into the Taylor Creek stream profile chamber, a short walk from the Visitor Center along The Rainbow Trail where you can walk underground to view beneath the surface of the water to see the huge salmon up close.

There are also Oktoberfest activities held in various locations around the Lake. A fun time to drink great beer, eat bratwurst and watch some amazing dancing troupes. Grab your lederhosen and head out to Camp Richardson on the South Shore typically during the last weekend of September or the first weekend of October or at Olympic Village at Palisades Tahoe (FKA Squaw Valley). Oktoberfest activities are fun for the whole family and include face painting, bouncy houses, craft fairs, balloon figures, and all sorts of food and drink, music, and dancing. A lively way to end the fall season.
Of course the best of the best in any season at Lake Tahoe, just: Hike, Eat, Drink, Sleep, Repeat. And sneak in a hot tub and massage.

 

Last Words

 

Oh, by the way, I found my box of sweaters. My husband inexplicably hides my boxes in the garage—where I NEVER go. Makes no sense to me! But I found the box and right on top was the sweater my grandmother knitted for me so long ago. I remember us chatting as she knitted along, every so often stopping to measure my arm or that funny little way she swore under her breath when she dropped a stitch. Amazingly, I can still smell her perfume faintly as I wrap up in that cuddly soft sweater, or I imagine I do.

Whatever Mother Nature decides to dish out this autumn (Fall), y’all enjoy!!

by Deanne Del Vecchio
©TahoeDaze.com. September 2022

P.S. If you are reading this on my blog, please tell me your impressions about fall at Lake Tahoe. What are your favorite sights, sounds, smells, and activities? I would love to hear from all of you locals. I know you have amazing thoughts and experiences from living at the Lake of the Sky every season of the year! Visitor comments are welcome, too!

If you agree to your comments being printed on this blog or in the future e-book or paperback, please let me know if you would like to have your name attributed, or if you’d rather remain anonymous.
This ‘Ode to Autumn’ will soon be accompanied by Winter”, “Spring”, and “Summer”, encapsulated in a book which I’ll name something like: “Lake Tahoe by the Seasons – As told by locals who’ve lived it.” Or: “The Four Seasons of Lake Tahoe – Locals Tell All”. Or some other title that you could vote on as your favorite!

So if you have tales to be told of any of our four seasons, any and all comments would be much appreciated. Thank you so much for reading and commenting!

P.P.S. Unless you are from the East Coast….then please disregard all of the above prose about autumn splendor in the arid West. LOL.
~Deanne