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Still Mostly Green in the Hope Valley

Red Creek (10/6/17) Phillip Reedy

Red Lake (10/6/17) Phillip Reedy

Red Creek (10/6/17) Phillip Reedy

Red Creek (10/6/17) Phillip Reedy

A day ahead of this weekend’s Alpine Aspen Festival, Phillip Reedy drove over Carson and Luther Passes, reporting that though there is more color than a week ago, many areas of the Hope Valeyu are still “mostly green.”

More yellow, orange and red surround Red Creek cabin, though the groves above the cabin are still mostly green.

Give it a week to two for peak color.

On the south side of CA-88 by Red Lake Creek you’ll find lots of color. Heading east past Blue Lakes Road, the large grove (across the cattle pasture to the north) is nearing peak, and groves above along the mountainside are turning yellow.

Phillip’s favorite grove, to the west of the West Carson down in Hope Valley is looking good with some orange, a lot of yellows, and still much green.

This past week, we reported Sorensens as peaking, which Phillip confirms, stating he believed it would be a magnet for color spotters attending the Alpine Aspen Festival.
As you drive Luther Pass (CA-89) toward South Lake Tahoe  the aspen are still mostly green and there wasn’t much color from there all the way to Truckee.
Reedy concurs with others who’ve reported that the aspen leaves, this year, lack luster. One way to get around that is to photograph the leaves blacklit, as many frontally lit leaves have a dull cast to them, this autumn.
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