Years In Review HOME » SPECIAL FEATURES » FALL FOLIAGE » YEARS IN REVIEW   2002 - This was about as big as a foliage dud could get. The ongoing drought along with other factors led to one of the most drab, lifeless displays anyone can remember.  The foliage turn happened incredibly late in the fall, most places still had fully leafed out trees in early to mid November.  Most people who made mid October reservations to see the foliage missed the show altogether.  The only plus was an abundance of early season snowfalls in late October and early November.  Even the drab foliage of this year looked nice with a little snow on it.  Here's hoping to a return to normal next year...see you then! 2001 - Some of the locals had predicted that the extremely dry summer of 2001 would lead to dull and boring foliage.  Overall, that was not the case, but the absence of rain did not go entirely unnoticed, if under close examination. A small percentage of trees turned yellow in mid August were bare by September. Small scale areas of hard hit trees were evident on southerly facing rocky slopes or in areas which repeatedly escaped summer thunderstorms. Sugar Maples, in our past observances, have tended to be brighter in dry years, although it's usually not quite as long lived. This year, the sugar maples were stunning, so the theory stands.  The show was not as long lasting as usual, but it was still spectacular.  Unusually warm weather made viewing a pleasure, and rainy days were non-existent. As usual, mother nature can fight through the toughest of conditions and put on a great fall foliage display every year.  See you again next time! 2000 - The foliage season of the year 2000 was one of the brightest seen in a long time.  Past years have had duller foliage and a shorter peak time due to too much or too little rain over the summer and early fall months.  We had a wet and cool summer this year but a dry fall has appeared to balance things out nicely.  There were only a few noticeably windy days and very few rainy days, which allowed the foliage to cling far longer than past years.  In all, this was about a perfect as a foliage season could get.  The only negative would be that during the peak time, there was a few days with low clouds which made taking photos with a nice clear blue sky a challenge, but not impossible, to get.  We look forward to next year and wish mother nature the best of luck in topping this years foliage.