We left Buffalo on Monday, planning to drive to Gainesville without stopping to do any sightseeing or excursions. We’ve really enjoyed being in the northeast to see the leaves change; the leaf-peeping season came earlier this year than it did last year. This photo was taken in New York, not long after leaving Buffalo:

We saw many more oranges and reds this time. These photos were from West Virginia:

Though there was more green as we drove, there also seemed to be more browns and barren limbs the further south we traveled. I have a hunch it will be a colder winter up north this year.

We stopped in West Virginia at the New River Gorge to photograph the bridge again – it’s the longest arch bridge in North America. If the bridge looks familiar to you, that’s because the header photo on my blog is also of this bridge, taken last year.

But, last year, we stopped here on the way up and it was a very foggy day, so we weren’t able to see down into the gorge. This time, we could see just fine.

This is West Virginia coal-mining country, though the mines along the New River are no longer operating.

We spent the night in Clarksville, West Virginia, in the parking lot of a Ruby Tuesdays restaurant where we ate and watched the baseball playoff game. Tuesday, we continued south, stopping for the night in Rock Hill, South Carolina. A final day of driving got us to Gainesville Wednesday evening.