Giving Thanks and Looking Back at 2022

On this Thanksgiving Day, CaliforniaFallColor.com is thankful to the 75 color spotters who contributed reports, photographs and videos in 2022.

They include (from first leaf): Philip Reedy, Hannah Meisner-Bogdahn, Samantha Deleo, Jeff Simpson, Daniel Stas, Alena Nicholas, Betsy Forsyth, Patrick Griley, Dakota Snider, Gary Young, Angie Plaisted, Linda Hennessy, Michelle Petit, John Pan, Parchers Resort, Michael Beatley, Jeff Luke Titcomb, Jim Van Matre, Trent Vierra, Sam Xi, Shanda Ochs, Amanda Carlson, Ken Robesky, Marianne Berttell Vaughn, Shawn Reeder, Soyojng Kim, Sharon Jiang, Legarlin Li, Bill McFall, Donna Mercer, Tim Zalaha, Bethany Anderson, Peter Robbins, Clayton Peoples, Gary Skipper II, Vishal Mishra, Curtis Kautzer, Steve Arita, Mark Hoshovsky, Mark Harding, Jeffrey Lu, Max Comer, Lucas Yan, James Wei, Dave Pabinquet, Ryan Boyd, Lyle Gordon, Julie Kirby, Wolfie, Grant Ly, Noah Sondgroth, Curtis Kautzer, Mark Hanning Lee, Bruce Wendler, David Sharp, John Natelli, Sandy Steinman, Frank McDonough, Salil Bhatt, Walt Gabler, Risa Wyatt, Michelle Pontoni, Kathy Jonokuchi, Bonnie Hulkower, Frank Dariano, Parrish Todd, Ellie Wilson, Steve “Spike” Spiker, Gianna Crest, Claudia Cram, Danielle Ormsby-Toombs, Lara Kaylor and Ron Tyler, who produced the above video.

If, somehow, we missed you, please know it wasn’t intentional. We are truly indebted to every contributor.

Special thanks are expressed to Inyo County Tourism, Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce & Visitors Bureau, Mono County Tourism, Mammoth Lakes Tourism and Choose Redding for underwriting California Fall Color, and to the many reporters and media who carried our reports and gave attention to what we have shown about California’s fall color.

Of course, this list is not complete without mentioning Joan, my bride of 52 years. She has pulled the car to the shoulder so that I could jump out to photograph particularly beautiful locations; humored my recording of color percentages, species and elevations; pointed out spectacular color; and tolerated my exuberance in showing her countless stunning photographs taken by our contributors.

Our deepest thanks go to the more than 70,000 readers who on over one hundred and twenty thousand occasions opened, read, followed, reacted to and commented here and on our social media pages. You are, after all, the reason we do this.

The photographs selected for this year’s video represent: what happened, the diversity of fall color across the state, and some of the finest photography of 2022. 

If you would like your photographs considered for inclusion in next autumn’s video, we recommend that you submit “horizontal,” high resolution (300 dpi), not-watermarked photographs, within a week of having captured them. Pictures taken in places not often photographed have an advantage in getting selected, as competition is stiffest among pictures taken at popularly photographed destinations.

Autumn doesn’t end today. It continues for nearly a month longer. We’ll continue to post photos and reports, as received. Though today, we dial back reports and will post them less frequently. We’ve also stopped sending weekly updates to meteorologists, travel and outdoor writers.

Finally, this is my last autumn editing CaliforniaFallColor.com. The site will continue, but will be edited and published by someone else. You may see my photographs and comments occasionally as a contributor, but it’s finally time for this old travel editor to do a bit of traveling and enjoy retirement.

So, enjoy your Thanksgiving Day and plan an Orange Friday of fall color spotting, tomorrow. 

• California – Peak (75-100%) GO NOW! – In our hearts, California is always at its best.

CaliforniaFallColor.com will see you next autumn, dude.