Since returning from the Canadian Rockies in early October, I've been enjoying the spectacular autumn in Central Oregon. I've visited some photographic locations in the area around my home in Bend that feel like old friends to me. I've posted nine images from a few of those places. I love fall weather in the Pacific Northwest – still warm during the day so you can walk around without a jacket but brisk in the mornings and evenings. It's also the season of my birthday, which my family helped me celebrate a few days before Halloween. I've seen some very colorful sunsets and sunrises this fall around Bend, most of them occurred while I was busy doing something else beside photography. I've taken so many images of wonderful light on the landscape now during my travels that I can relax and just enjoy the beauty of a sunset and sunrise even when I don't have my camera with me. Either way, with or without the camera and tripod, it's good for the soul.

Let's hope we have a wet winter with a good snow pack. We need it here in Oregon. I noticed the Cascade lakes, especially Sparks and Scott lakes, were lower than I've ever seen them this fall. They looked more like mud holes than lakes. The autumn colors along the Deschutes River Trail, especially at the aspen groves, were especially good this year compared to recent years. These locations are best in late morning when the sun illuminates the colorful foliage and highlights the reflections in the river.

Even on a day where the sky is a boring clear blue sky, Sparks Lake is worth a visit. The mountains viewed from the lake shore are impressive. Smith Rock is another location I'm drawn to visit again and again. The best light is at sunrise when the colors in the rhyolite monolith explode. But I caught Smith Rock on a dull gray cloudy day and still came away with a keeper.

I can already feel the weather reaching the frigid zone – hovering around 32 degrees Fahrenheit in early mornings and forcing me to reach for my ice scraper to clear the windshield of my vehicle. Enjoy the remaining days of autumn. A chilly blast of winter can't be far behind. I'm hoping looking forward to pink/blue alpenglow on some winter mornings.

Best to you all,
Stu