Leaves (except the brilliant green kudzu, still!?) are changing fast & already falling off in droves, leaving lots of bare patches already. Seems to be past the peak right here locally, @ least, which is usually mid-October, (last year it was muted & late b/c of it being drier). So we had wanted to do our family annual Paint Bank autumnal leaf ride today, I would ride from Riverview church, they would take recycling on down to Blacksburg, then meet me @ The Swinging Bridge & we would eat in the car or outside if nice enough. But Katy & Holly made the point that that is not really a "family leaf ride" if we are going our own ways. I can't understand why they wouldn't want to drive next to me all the way back after eating (to satisfy my 2020 Buffalo Burger Quest, per Danny & Henry), @ anywhere from 12-35mph, depending on slope. Can you? So I tried to fit just a 3-hr ride in early enough to be back in time for us all to leave in 1 vehicle by between Noon & 1pm. Call Swinging Bridge to place the order as we turn off 460, after glass recycling drop-off in Blacksburg before we would lose signal, & they were so busy & were up to a 2.5 hr wait time for seating, so they had to stop taking to-go orders @ 2pm. So we turned around @ Riverview Baptist and went back to Olive Garden in Blacksburg. Life gives you lemons, then make lemonade as you adapt on the fly. Maybe we can hit the Swinging Bridge later this year or in January, when there are no leaves to be seen, & if not too cold, dark, or late, I can ride & meet them there. Far fewer critters today, except for farm Pyrs. Skillet's "Monster" preceded me & announced my presence to the Blue Heron of the day, so it was flying 3/4 of way across the New River before I got the camera out. Quite the variety in materials & sturdiness as to the ways to cross Wolf Creek. A lesson in Bridge engineering in there somewhere. Still very enjoyable ride, except for shunning the full-finger gloves when I left Rocky Gap United Methodist Church.