Forest Fall Colour photo hunt in Norway

Autumn has arrived with its characteristic blasts of colour over most of Norway. The hills, forests and mountains are ablaze and waiting to welcome hikers, bikers and all who headed off on a photo hunt like DianeCA, my wife and I last weekend. You see thermometers have dipped below the freezing point at night in the Oslo area and the chill is bound to bring forth even more fall colours, as the greenery of summer gives way to the red and gold of autumn. My mind races to past family trips to see the changing of the colours in the woods, especially along lakes. Let me start with one pic from our trip last weekend to give up an idea:
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #1

On our way by car – just 15 min from home – deeper into the forests and up on the hill, we were met with this fairytale scenery of nature’s colours (click pics to bigify & enjoy):
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #6 Forest Fall Colour in Norway #5

The fall colour of the tree is spectacular, showing brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. This eye-catching occurrence is due to a chemical process that begins as the days get shorter and the temperature drops. At a village and its camping resort by Lake Tyrifjorden (Norway’s fifth largest lake with an area of 137 km2, 295 meters deep at its deepest, and lies 63 meters above sea level), we really got hold of the whole fall colour pallet:
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #8 Forest Fall Colour in Norway #7

During the spring and fall, the leaves use chlorophyll (which gives the green colouring) to capture energy from the sun. When water and carbon dioxide are added to the mix, the trees produce sugars and starch for food. As the temperature drops and the daylight diminishes, the trees stop their food-making process, which causes the chlorophyll to break down and the green pigments to be replaced with oranges and yellows (which were present in small quantities all along).
Enough facts – let’s enjoy the lake windowing this spectacular nature fall paintings:
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #10 Forest Fall Colour in Norway #12
Notice the Kayak below: is it possible to find anything more recreational?
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #13 Forest Fall Colour in Norway #14
Well, fishing for some is quite recreational too:
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #17 Forest Fall Colour in Norway #18

Let me end this colourful report with memories from my family’s weekend expeditions in the good old days. It would mean sweaters, picnic baskets and other gear to make the trip a success. My wife (click here to read her post from the same trip) has obviously had some of the same as this was what she served in these wonderful nature fairytale surroundings:
Forest Fall Colour in Norway #20 Forest Fall Colour in Norway #19Coffee and sandwich ala Diane: Mayo, egg, tomato and mushrooms!

This is what I call a quality time with my wife, in the golden beauty of fall and a good proof of why I love the significant four seasons – to be experienced and explored in the nature; far away from the stressful, urban life – the best way to spend a Sunday and charge you’re batteries.