Couple finds perfect fall color

Have you ever been in the right place at just the right time? Perhaps you rambled into the middle of an aspen grove right when the light began to shift, the yellow-orange leaves crunching under your feet. The remaining green leaves would make a soft quaking sound at even the gentlest of breezes, and the characteristic smell would be distinctively warm. A golden glow would emerge as a dusty sunbeam illuminated the smooth white bark. This is beauty so rich, suddenly everything seems right with the world.

Husband and wife team Patrick and Kimberly Wilkes have built a website to help you create these special moments for yourself. Kimberly says, “Nevada Fall Color is the only site completely devoted to letting you know exactly where and when fall color is appearing throughout the state. Because Nevada has so many mountain ranges surrounded by high desert, it has these marvelous islands of fall color that often take you by surprise,” said Kimberly. The website also covers some wildflowers and shrubs and includes unusual and interesting facts on our local wildlife.

Both unique and easy to navigate, it is not the first project the two have envisioned together. Kimberly is a freelance writer, and Patrick is a professional photographer. They have co-authored two volumes, both informative guidebooks that give you the inside scoop on what each camping location has to offer in precise detail. Their popular Eastern Sierra and Death Valley Camping with Privacy was followed by Lake Tahoe Camping with Privacy. Each of their titles are available on Ne

vadaFallColor.com, through Amazon, or Luminary Books in Gardnerville.

Based in Gardnerville, they started the fall color undertaking in 2021 to pay tribute to one of the most spectacular times of year in Nevada. Kimberly has succinct in-the-moment blog posts describing “where the color is right now,” that are accompanied by Patrick’s dazzling images.

Patrick is well known for his photographs of historical and cultural significance. His “Four Seasons of Pyramid Lake” was installed for an entire year at the Pyramid Lake Museum and Visitor’s Center. He has also shown at the Copeland Gallery in Minden. Kimberly has written for Nevada Magazine, Tahoe Quarterly, Sierra Living and a large selection of other publications.

The two invite you to become part of their team of “fall foliators.” This is Patrick’s term for anyone who is passionate about viewing fall foliage.

If this describes you, their website outlines how you can submit your photos and fall color reports to be enjoyed with others who have the same interest. Since they cannot cover the state on their own, they hope to rely on volunteers to help them “share the beauty.”