September 9th was a perfect day for a fall foliage flight in Interior Alaska. Barbara and I departed Peterson Field early in the morning to see the fall colors and one of the best places to see them is the Yukon River Narrows between Stevens Village and Tanana. This day we flew NW from Fairbanks towards the village of Rampart, meeting the Yukon at Hess Creek. This day all the low lands were swathed in dense ground fog, creating a dreamy ocean like white blanket engulfing the river and it's tributaries. We followed the Yukon upstream as the fog dissipated, past fish camps, clear water creeks and islands - a vast patchwork of orange, yellow and dark green: the colors of birch, willow, quaking aspen and spruce.
Along the way we flew past gonadonimbus clouds, virga and rain over the Minto Flats, and the intricate patterns and mosaic patches of the quaking aspens, all changing color together.
(see an outstanding discussion of the clone aspect of Aspens by ADN columnist Dermot Cole here: https://www.adn.com/opinions/2017/09/12/with-a-splash-of-yellow-aspen-clones-prepare-for-the-fall/)
As the pictures show, the color changes extend in all directions and as far as the eye can see. By noon we turned back towards Fairbanks, arriving at our home field just ahead of changing weather and a black wall of threatening storm clouds from the North.
