In the grand scheme of things, autumn, also called fall in North America, is just another of the four seasons. And in a vast and diverse country like Canada, each season has its allure.
Fall is the time the outside air starts losing its humidity and warmth. It is the time a crispness creeps into the air. And the sun starts to set earlier.
But it is not the change in the atmosphere that captures the eyes first. It is the changing landscape.
In the fall, the landscape, particularly those with trees, makes a breathtaking transformation, as the foliage start losing their vibrant green. There is a rich tapestry of reds, oranges, golds, yellows and even purples. This transformation from green to this rich color magic starts from the northern parts of Canada and slowly moves towards the south where I live.
And then the leaves fall of their branches and dance their way as they hug the earth.
For a while, the grounds then look as if covered in a brown carpet and that has its own beauty.
For many years, I have taken trips to capture the magic of the fall colors. Sometimes, they have been longer tours with overnight stays but at times they have been shorter drives. I have even observed the changing colors in those single trees that adorn every front lawn down in my street.
Last week I undertook an almost 1000-km trip towards northern Ontario to see this spectacle. This was a special trip because this was the first time I was going to stay in a hotel since Covid erupted.
And this year, autumn has been late in coming for many parts of the country.
And, so, during most of my drive I did not see spectacular fall color scenarios. Even in Sudbury, which is more than 400 km north of Toronto, the fall color spectacle was less of a spectacle. I even drove farther north but I still was disappointed.
But I took a different route on my way back to Toronto and in Huntsville, which is about 200 km north-east of Toronto, the view over the Hunter’s Bay was magnificent. There were certainly other areas too where I thought the colours were spectacular.
Here are some of the photos I shot, with my Nikon 5600 and Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra.
Fall colors in Hunter’s Bay, Huntsville
