Fall Foliage Feast

On my way to the Boston Temple today, I drove through Lake Sunapee area. The maples were orange, red and the birches were yellow! What a view, interstate 89 South is a beautiful drive. As I climbed in elevation after Grantham, up, towards New London, to the right was a beautiful lake surrounded by the blazing trees and their reflection in the lake just multiplied the effect. Although it was not sunny, neither was it rainy, only a bit overcast. Actually the perfect weather for viewing the foliage, because it had rained yesterday, making the colors more vivid and the rock faces a darker gray. The contrast was lovely.
My deductive reasoning lead me to fantasize that perhaps on my way home from the temple, if it wasn't too late, and I wasn't too tired from 2 days of no sleep, I might just keep on driving up to the White Mountains, after all if the simple elevation in New London was this beautiful, my mind reasoned that it would be perfect up in the mountains.
The temple was beautiful, too, although being in the Boston area, more southernly and not too many trees were showing their true colors, yet. In the mid week, wed., it's always quiet in the temple and today was no exception. Everyone is always so happy to see patrons that you feel like a celebrity! the peaceful experience was just what I needed. It really is like stepping into another world, inside the temple. I really needed that time to settle myself. I also, walked past so many spots where Sarah and Joshua had stood to have their picture taken by Brother Perron so long ago, 6 years! It always brings back lovley wedding memories when I go to the Boston Temple.
Upon leaving, I still hadn't decided to head home, and some much needed rest or just keep driving and hope to see the beauty that New England has to offer this time of year.
As I approached the Manchester area, I was feeling fine and decided to just keep driving! At first it was the ever familiar areas of shopping I've experienced many times before, then passed the Tilton exit, where so many Maggie and Garner outfits have been purchased at the Osh Kosh place! Mostly green trees, and I realized how much of the landscape held conifers! the deciduous trees were like their conifer counterparts and unyielding. No color changes, but that was not surprising as Concord is not that high up, nor Tilton. But the promise of mountains in the distance drew me onward.
Slowly, as the elevation changed so did the trees. Only a few of the early red maples were dotting the landscape, but I knew that if New London was colorful the higher peaks of the White Mountains surely would be, too. My searching eyes were rewarded here and there, but before long the greens began to be more chartreuse and some pinks, and a few yellows, then there it was the foot hills gave way to real mountains in the mid distance was a beautiful range of color that pulled me forward into the beauty that is foliage season. The nearer peaks would obstruct the ones behind them and I was like a kid on Christmas morning, so excited to turn the next bend in the road to see if there was more "eye candy". Sure enough as I travelled closer and closer to Franconia Notch, the color was breath taking! Wow, the feeling that coms over you as you enter that cornucopia of color just envelopes your whole soul and you feel like your in a very special moment in time.
Suddenly, a little further was an anomalie. Apparently in the valley beyond Franconia Notch, it had rained recently. Not so recently that it spoiled the view, just enough to wet the ground a while ago, and the evaporation process formed the strangest sight; clouds lifting upwards, like a strange swift moving windswept misty wave of cumulous vapor. It was almost frightening, as it was a bit eerie and strange. It gave me the sense that something unsual was happenning that I might not ever witness in my lifetime, again. As I pondered how fortunate I'd been to be exactly there in that moment to witness such a mysteriously beautiful sight, I gave thanks to my Heavenly Father for his glorious and magnificent world! I wished that I could take a video of that moment, and as I drove slowly along the highway, I noticed that other motorists were slowing their vehicles, too. Something that beautiful and awesome doesn't come along every day. Perhaps only once in a lifetime. I'm so happy that I was in the right place at the right time to see such beauty, today.