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A Satisfying Drive Through Sacramento

Leaf Cookies, Freeport Bakery, Sacramento (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Leaf Cookies, Freeport Bakery, Sacramento (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

The most satisfying leaves of autumn are Leaf Cookies sold at the Freeport Bakery in Sacramento.

Buying a half-dozen of them has become a sure stop on a routine fall color drive that I take each November along the American River to Sacramento and back.

Mormon Island (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Mormon Island (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Mormon Island (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Mormon Island (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The drive begins in Folsom where Mormon Island Wetlands and the boulevards of Folsom are near peak. Frémont cottonwood at the wetlands preserve (part of Folsom Lake State Recreation Area) began showing yellow in September, though they still have lots of green, lime and fresh yellow in them.

Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Guarding Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Posing Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Plaza Park, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Plaza Park, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Continuing west on US 50, I exit at Sunrise Blvd. for a visit to downtown Fair Oaks where, near Plaza Park, roosters hold court, crowing, scratching and otherwise guarding their turf.

The roosters are part of the charm of Fair Oaks, a rural town that is now surrounded by suburbia and has become an oasis of authentic shops, cafes and restaurants.

Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Strutting Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Curious Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

Seeing Red Rooster, Fair Oaks (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Returning to US 50 and traveling on to Sacramento, I exit and tour “the 40s,” Sacramento’s tony residential area, so named because it is comprised of avenues numbered in the 40s.

16th Avenue, Sacramento (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

16th Avenue, Sacramento (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

41st Avenue, Sacramento (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

41st Avenue, Sacramento (11/5/16) John Poimiroo

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Along the avenues, leaves that have fallen from the capital city’s towering London planetrees are blown into piles to be scooped up by city street cleaners and taken away.

London planetrees are a variety of sycamore.  Their leaves are a mix of chartreuse and orange-brown. Presently, they’re near peak.

Sacramento prides itself as a city of trees and nowhere is that more evident than at William Land Park, south of downtown or on the drive into Sacramento International Airport, where trees are planted by species in a grand arboretum that leads to the airport’s terminals.

No wonder, Leaf Cookies are so popular in Sacramento.

American River and Sacramento – Near Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! –