Vagabond October ...

“There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir: We must rise and follow her, When from every hill of flame She calls, and calls each vagabond by name.”

         ~ “A Vagabond Song”

         ~ William Bliss Carman

        ~ Canadian poet laureate

          ~ 1861 ~ 1929

 

Late October paints its colorful beauty on an autumn afternoon along the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).

 

I captured this shot this after setting out from the Cementon Trailhead of the D&L Trail in Cementon, Pennsylvania, part of the Asher F. Boyer Eagle Trail section of the D&L.

 

Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

 

Stopping By October ...

“October is the opal month of the year. It is the month of glory, of ripeness. It is the picture-month.”
        ~ Henry Ward Beecher

              ~ 1813 ~ 1887

A stop sign marking the River Drive Trailhead of the Delaware & Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail), in Laurys Station, North Whitehall Township, Pennsylvania, seemingly beckons you to stop and take in autumn’s beauty on a late October afternoon.

 

I captured this shot this after setting out from the Cementon Trailhead of the D&L Trail in Cementon, Pennsylvania. These sections of the trail are part of the Asher F. Boyer Eagle Trail section of the D&L.

Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware Rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

 

Morning On The Delaware ...

 “Let us cross over the river, and rest in the shade of the trees.”

   ~ Stonewall Jackson

   ~ 1824 ~ 1863

The last words of Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson, who served as a Confederate general (1861-1863) during the Civil War, and became arguably the best-known Confederate commander after General Robert E. Lee. Jackson played a prominent role in nearly all military engagements in the Eastern Theater of the war until his death, and had an important part in winning many significant battles.

 

The serenity of a beautiful mid-October morning reflects in the Delaware River, showcasing autumn’s splendor in this shot I captured overlooking the river that straddles New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

This view was from the Riverton-Belvidere Toll Supported Bridge, my vantage point on this picture perfect morning.

The bridge, which opened in 1904, links Belvidere, New Jersey and Riverton, Pennsylvania.

A Delaware River Town, Belvidere, one of my very favorite places, was established April 7, 1845 and is a charming Victorian town located on the banks of the Pequest and Delaware Rivers. The town’s name means “beautiful to see” in Italian.

Riverton is part of Pennsylvania’s Slate Belt.

October Road ...

“…Let the sun run down right behind the hill,

I know how to stand there still till the moon rise up

right behind the pine, oh, Lord, October road …

Sweet call of the countryside …”

              ~ “October Road”

       ~ written & recorded by James Taylor

                 ~ 2002

With the warmth of summer lingering in the air, the light of a looming early October sunset follows a Jeep through the rolling hillsides on Game Preserve Road on a beautiful autumn evening at Trexler Nature Preserve, Schnecksville, Pennsylvania.