Leaf Peeping | 2024

I’m sure many of us will be saying it this morning, but the weekend went by way too quickly! I woke up wanting an extra day to catch up on laundry, cleaning, and preparing for the week ahead. However, Monday is here and it’s time to get going!

Today I’m sharing a few pictures and a (very short!) video from our roadtrip yesterday. We drop up into the White Mountain National Forest to check out the foliage and it was magical.

---

We learned last year that the key to a smooth leaf peeping day is to get started very early. A few years ago we made the mistake of leaving the house around 10am and there were tons of people everywhere. This year we left right at 7am and there were no lines on the interstate nor the highway through the national forest. One year we could barely make it down the highway because tourists were posing in the middle of the road! There was some of that this year, but not nearly as much as other visits. That’s 100% thanks to the time of day because people are only more likely to take risky pictures for the sake of social media.

It also helps to start early with the kiddos. Although they knew we were going on a roadtrip, they were kind of in shock when we left the house so early. I can report that there was not one instance of yelling, fighting, or even complaining (other than a few utterances of I’m hungry). It was the absolute best roadtrip we’ve ever had. Matthew and I ate our bagels in peace, I got a bit of knitting done on the way up, and I drove part of the way back so that Matthew could get some rest. We were home before 12:30 which gave the kids plenty of time to play and run off some pent up energy.

Here’s a very short video that shows parts of the ride:

---

(editing to add: the family at the end of this video didn’t have their hazard flashers on because they needed help. They just stopped to take pictures!)

As you can tell from the pictures and video, it was a beautiful day. I am so glad we were able to follow through with these plans and I’m already looking forward to our 2025 trip!

Today is back to reality: we have school this morning and then I’m going in for my flu & covid shots at noon today. I’m hoping the side effects are minimal and that I’ll be able to return to my exercise routine tomorrow. And once Colton gets his immunizations that are scheduled for this Friday, everyone in the house will be protected from covid and flu (hopefully)! It always feels good to check that task off the list in the fall.

I hope your Monday is a good one and that you find time for the things that you love! Take good care.