Mid-October on Skyline Drive

The leaves are turning color a little earlier this year, perhaps due to the dry weather. Unfortunately, some of them are going straight to brown, but there are plenty of yellows and reds at the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge.

Shenandoah National Park is still open, at least for now. Our national politicians are squabbling over budget cuts, and the government is partly shut down. The private companies that run the restaurants and lodges at the park are advertising that they are open, and autumn is their busiest season. I was pleased to see that park rangers are still on duty, although I believe their talks and tours are suspended. 

I went up there on Tuesday. Plenty of other people were there there, although it was not as crowded as it will be on the weekend.

 This couple was having wedding pictures taken.

I didn’t see much wildlife until we got to Big Meadows. 

At some of the overlooks, the sun was in my eyes, so I did not try to take pictures. At others, I took advantage of cloud cover to grab some snapshots.