Color map
You know the yearning for a road trip — the cool autumn air that gives you that itch to move. The open road's fall spectacle is calling, and the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has your day trip plotted for you. Their website provides a comprehensive color report with weekly video updates and maps offering the best routes to immerse you in all the glorious fall scenery. Be sure to click on the links highlighting seasonal events and places to stop along the way to experience the most breathtaking, panoramic views. The site also has a regional breakdown for hiking, biking, paddling and golfing. Go to fallcolor.ohiodnr.com.
Quick color fix
You don’t have time for a long road trip but just need a fast glimpse of autumn’s eye candy? Enjoy a ten minute (round trip) twenty- five-mile-an-hour cruise down Talmadge Rd. between W. Central Ave. and Bancroft St. The mature trees stretch across the road creating a canopy drenched in a yellow, orange and red blaze of foliage.
Light bright
Richly hued leaves aren’t the only awe-inspiring showstoppers in October. Catch the Orionid Meteor Shower (named for the constellation Orion the Hunter) cascading across the night sky. The best time is right now through its peak visibility on Sunday, October 21st between midnight and dawn. Look to the southeast quadrant where you may be able to see from 10 to 25 meteors falling per hour. Also this month look for Jupiter — she's the brightest planet (of the eight in our solar system — I miss Pluto) and will be showing off in the east/northeast from 7-8pm. Venus, the second brightest planet, will be strutting her stuff to the east near dawn.
