Ashe County Autumn
The Blue Ridge Mountains of Ashe County, NC serve as the stage for the South’s most captivating autumn performance. By far the most magnificent area to witness the change in season, the elevation and layered vistas of the High Country provide more showmanship of nature’s turn than most locales in the South. It is truly a special time of year.
The country roads and farmlands are animated with pastures of pumpkins in every color. Pumpkins, synonymous with orange, grow in a range of colors here including green, pink and white, all just as splendid as their customary cousins. The harvest yields gourds, shocks and Indian corn in the most amazing contorted shapes and colors. True cornucopias of the abundance of the season. Haystacks and hay rolls dapple the pastoral farmlands and eclectic scarecrows welcome more passing Ravens than they frighten.
These are side shows to the big performance, little enhancements that make the season just that much more enjoyable. Step out on the front porch and watch the stage before you: LEAVES. The splendid and surreal display of change as Sugar and Red Maples, Oak, Yellow Buckeye, Honey and Black Locust, Poplar and Sycamore trees transform their lush verdant color across the sprawling horizons of the Blue Ridge Mountains turning to a kaleidoscope of golden yellows, glowing oranges and russet reds. The vibrancies are remarkable! The trees, once blended canopies, distinguish themselves in the call of autumn, each standing independent and unique in the versatility of its own color.
Autumn trees and wind make a certain kind of music. Rustling leaves driven from the branches above, collect and whirl and with that chime sound of slight decay they rise again and follow in a dance. With a wind that announces chilly weather, the fall in Ashe County is a time to rekindle the home’s comforting fire, the smell of wood burning and fanning from the chimney. A fresh rain is sure to bring that earthy smell of fall, a sensual reminder of the season, leaves wet and spotted on the ground. Chestnuts, too, and field apples, acorns and buckeye strewn about and mix on the ground. Animals forage and Wild Turkey gang in mass of a dozen or more pocking and prodding about the forest floor. Deer cautiously graze and protect their young. These are the wonders of autumn in Ashe County, North Carolina. A place where each season is alive and singular.
Now is the perfect time to experience the peak performance of autumn in Ashe County. Sunshine is forecast for the coming weekend and week. Make the American adventure on the Blue Ridge Parkway, measure the miles of scenic brilliance and relaxation. Pick through a roadside pumpkin patch and welcome the slight nip of this refreshing season. Let your eyes travel the horizon and feast in the peak performance of an amazing Ashe County Autumn.
