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Listen! The wind is rising, and the air is wild with leaves, we have had our summer evenings, now for October eves.” – Humbert Wolfe
On the crisp fall day of last year, every paddle stroke sprinkled water drops, reflecting the sun like sparklers across the still backwaters of Lake Natoma. Autumn, without any doubt, is one season you don't want to miss visiting the lake. The weather is cooler, the summer crowds are gone, and the placid waters reflect images of lusters.
Contemporary Turkish writer Mehmet Murat Ildan wrote, “Dancing of the autumn laves on a surface of a lake is a dream we see when we are awake.”
It does seem like we were in a fantasy land of colors. Bright reds and yellows set a dazzling display along the banks of the lake mingled among the faded clumps of iris and shriveled blackberries that still clung to the vine.
My party of kayakers glided almost effortlessly through the meandering watery path past islands, through narrow channels, and into silent still ponds part of the Folsom SRA near Sacramento, California.
Ducks, geese, and deer are at home here despite being so close to an urban setting. Our slow speed, quiet nature, and ability to access these shallow waters in our kayaks made it ideal for viewing wildlife. We do our best to keep a distance and not disturb them as they bed down for the evening. Some creatures, however, had no intention of heading back to their burrow. Excellent swimmers, the beavers are nocturnal creatures who remain partially submerged as we quietly paddled near them. Sensing our presents, they scoot away before using their flat, scaly tail to signal danger with a giant slap of the water.
After weeks of smoke-filled and hazing skies, the sky was so blue and the air so fresh we wanted to drink it in and make it last. In the serenity of the sloughs rounded ponds, we were thrilled to be in the luster of the autumn sun and brilliant shades of crimson leaves at the end of our day.
