Autumn cycling is my favorite. I delight in the sound of dry leaves crunching under my tires as I trundle along on crisp fall days, a rich blue sky overhead, and the peculiar, earthy scents of the waning season swirling about. Some of my earliest memories of in-town cycling revolve around the joy of autumn, its peculiar light, and being part of it as I pedaled around my home town.
There are many splendid displays of fall color in Salem. I hope to take some pictures in the coming months to illustrate the visual pleasure of cycling in such settings. Perhaps my favorite is D Street, between 17th and 22nd or so. The trees there set up a remarkable sequence of green-into-gold that I first noticed years ago when I was an undergraduate in town. It is a treat to see it happen every year. There are a lot of leaves to clear away when they start to fall, and I doubt the local home owners view the onset of autumn with unalloyed pleasure. When the rain arrives and the piles begin to resemble huge mats of soggy Wheaties, I take a detour. Yet, when it is in its full glory, I am completely mesmerized.
Yesterday I took a picture of the trees on D Street. They are just beginning to change. Another season, a new set of joys and challenges. A happy autumn to all who read this!
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