Two weeks ago, we embarked upon our annual autumn grouse hunt/four-wheeler ride/picnic. It’s become quite the family tradition to load up our four four-wheelers onto Dad’s skid-steer trailer, pack a picnic lunch, and head north to explore the trails around Sixmile Lake. Mid-September found the leaves near their peak of beauty this year, keeping the camera out of its bag for a large portion of the time. Erica and I rode together, switching between driving and snapping photos as we got tired of one or the other. It’s a bit challenging, shooting from the back of a moving four-wheeler, especially when the sun begins sinking lower in the late afternoon. Many of the photos are not sharp, but, when shrunk to ‘blog size’, are quite passable.

An overgrown path leads down to the Leech river. Just up the path is a small clearing in the pines–our traditional picnic spot.

The Master Chef supervises the cooking of the pie-iron sandwiches (click here for more information about pie irons–a delicious campfire meal!).

Mmmm! Ham and cheese pie iron sandwich (with Erica’s delicious pesto to spread on top!) corn chips, and homemade salsa!

Okay, our bellies are full… Time to hit the road again!

“Prepare to make the jump to light speed!” I “cheated” and zoomed in quickly while taking this shot, giving it the “warp” effect.

A rare ‘family shot’. Dad had to make a tripod out of a couple of logs lying around. It wasn’t so stable, so I had to be real careful not to bump anything while setting up the shot.

Maple leaves are my favorite–especially the bright orange kind!

On a narrow, overgrown trail, we came upon a ‘Golden Wood’. The photograph just cannot do the place justice. The warm light filtering down through all those golden leaves–like something out of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings!

A leaf collage

The late afternoon sun flashes through the trees as we make our way back to the trailer–and home again.