(I wrote this post two months ago, but never finished it).

Fall.

I love fall. I’ve been drinking spiced cider and peppermint tea. The leaves are changing, which is absolutely gorgeous. But, honestly, nothing beats fall colors like October in Shenandoah. Two years ago, I went camping with my classmate Maria in Shenandoah. We hiked to these beautiful ridges with glorious views of the Shenandoah Valley. The sky was filled with blues and grays, with ominous storm clouds in the distance, casting patchy shadows across the valleys. Hillsides covered in rich reds, burnt oranges and golden yellows from the millions of trees. Small, green plains with little farm houses illuminated from the small glimpse of sun peaking through the clouds. An eagle flew overhead, gliding gracefully through streams of light that descend from the heavens to the land below. It was one of the most magnificent views I’d ever seen.

Speaking of magnificent views, I was going to blog about sunsets. I don’t know how I got distracted by fall.

The top 4 sunsets (in no particular order):

December 1998. Sitting with a good friend in Lucy, my old Volvo station wagon. We parked at the empty lot up on Euclid Avenue in the Berkeley Hills. We could see the San Francisco skyline starting to sparkle as city lights came up, the gray, ominous fog rolling in over the Golden Gate Bridge, and a golden sun setting behind Mount Tam, with warm rays radiating, spiraling from the center as it slipped behind Marin. Quality time with a quality friend.

July 24, 2005. Waikiki beach with three great friends and some damn good sushi. We had waded into the surf just a little bit, but that wasn’t terribly fun since it was so rocky. So we sprawled out on our towels on a surprisingly not-so-crowded Waikiki beach. Armed with the Costco sushi (including California rolls with real crab!), we camped out, ate sushi with our fingers, talked, and watched the sun set to the west. Kids scurried along further down the beach. Their silhouettes were a stark contrast from the first gold and then pink backdrop behind them.

July 18, 2006. Jason had proposed several hours earlier. So, the world was already completely rose colored. We had a lovely dinner in Pacific Grove and wandered out to the waterfront where these rocks jutted out into the ocean. A cool breeze blew around us as we scrambled up the rocks and took a seat. As the sun set, the sky turned a warm mix of yellow, orange, and pink as it slipped behind the trees and then the horizon. The sun warmed the rocks and turned the entire area a beautiful glowy hue. And, it made my ring pretty darn sparkly!

September 2006. A little running group of friend and coworkers would run once a week after work on the trails behind Yahoo!. The trails wandered through the marshes and salt ponds, attracting birds of all kinds. As the days grew shorter, the sunsets came earlier and earlier in our runs. There’s a stretch of our normal course that is about .75 miles and perfectly straight headed toward the west, with beautiful views of the sunsets for a good 7-8 minutes (depending on how fast we were running). The wind caused small ripples along the surface of the water and beautiful birds stood with a delicate grandeur as if they revered the setting sun. Whispy clouds turned a lush orange pink as the sun set, reflecting more light off the salt ponds. 8 minutes of that view can keep a girl running.