I love to be at Reflection Lake in Mount Rainier National Park at first light.

On this particular morning, I got up a couple of hours before sunrise and made the trip by myself. It was the middle of the week, and I was hoping to see some fall color, Mount Rainier (of course), and hopefully fewer people..  The skies were crystal clear blue, and it was looking to be a beautiful day. My first stop of the day was Reflection Lake.

Fall is here! Well almost. While I can’t say that I look forward to the gray skies that seem to come with it too often in the PNW, there are lots of things that I absolutely LOVE about fall.

The parks, the waterfront, and my neighborhood. These are places I enjoy in my hometown all year, but in the fall, they really put on a show.