The foliage in the area is now considerably past peak. The drive up to the Gap was mostly red and brown. Here and there, scattered among the hillsides the occasional stand of yellow trees still shone brilliantly. But for the most part, the show has finished.

The best part about this time of Fall with most trees falling bare yet some still in color is the views. The foliage has thinned enough to offer wonderful panoramic vistas from the overlooks, yet the view from a distance is still wraught with color.

Hiking along the various trails, the forest floor is a kaleidoscope of colors and patterns, covered in a generous rainbow of leaves. The fallen leaves strewn about still hold most of their color. As we walked today in perfect Fall weather, the forest was simply alight with the brilliance of Fall.

With this cooler weather, as the leaves begin to fall, the dogs find themselves charged with energy. Out in the woods this time of year, Lacie can't stand still, even for a moment. Up and down the trail, into the water, up the hillside, after leaves, hunting squirrels, panting panting panting, Lacie simply can't stop moving.

At one point, she found herself fifty feet up a steep embankment above the trail. She had been chasing a collection of falling leaves, one after another, up the steep hillside. Finding herself a good distance from us, she turned right around and began to charge back down the hill. Bounding down through the trees, she began taking huge leaps through the piles of fallen leaves until finally, she burst through onto the trail, nose first into the dirt.

The entire time, with Lacie charging through the woods, Riley just motors right along. Riley's never been much of a runner, but he easily makes up for it with his love of swimming. Every few yards along the trail, Riley would cut down the steep bank and dive into the water. A few huge slurps of water and a brief dip and he would turn and charge back up the rocky slope.

But the real prize of the trip, at least for the swimmer in Riley, came while we were lunching along the banks of the River. The water was strewn with leaves, and after he chased a stick out into the current and back several times, one the final trip, he lost the stick in the leaves. While searching franticly for the stick, Riley found himself swimming several hundred feet out into the slow moving current and back again in a huge circle.

Needless to say, by the time the dogs got back to the truck, it was all they could do to hop in and fall asleep. It was a quiet drive home.