One of our gangs' gatherings on Washington Island. (Photo provided by Karen Wils)

ESCANABA — As the woodlands explode with color, the calendar overloads with activities!

Winter in Upper Michigan can sometimes be a bit cold, and precautions are necessary.

Summer can bring heat and humid conditions that Yoopers cannot tolerate.

But autumn in the U.P. is about as close to heaven on earth that you can get!

Fall is one fantastic fantasy of cool, cuddling nights and warm short sleeve days. The peak of the color season brings even the couch potatoes outdoors. Tourists flock to the forest while the geese flock up to head south.

The fall color makes us all feel vivacious and young again and at the same time, it makes reminisce and long for the rustic days of old.

Awesome autumn’s spectacular show really knows how to draw a crowd. So have your tickets ready. Mark your calendars. Fall events are too much fun to miss.

A fall color ride in the country is an annual thing for many families. Pack a picnic lunch and a thermos of hot coffee. It’s a great time to eat outdoors in the afternoon sunshine. And the bugs aren’t bad at all in the fall!

The pumpkin patch and the corn maze mean exercise, fresh air, muddy boots and much laughter. Harvest time is the happiest time to be cool country picking apples, digging potatoes, and gathering squash and gourds.

Harvest festivals, haunted forest hikes and hayrides will keep the whole family entertained until the snow flies.

As the leaves change, so do we, from T-shirts and tennis shoes to flannel shirts and hoodies. Sweaters and boots and team colors and we are all invited to the Homecoming football games.

The first frost comes and tinges the foliage and the ferns golden brown. Hunters and hunting dogs take to the fields and forests. One of the many blessings of living in harmony with the rural north woods is a bounteous amount of wildlife. And slowly cooked grouse with gravy is a true delicacy.

After a day of cleaning out the garden or raking leaves and jumping into the pile, a backyard bonfire if a wonderful way to relax and pop some corn.

No two autumns are alike. Depending on the amount of summer rainfall and the nighttime temperatures, peak leaf colors vary and so does the timing.

For many years, our extended family would gather on Washington Island, where my brother and his family live for apple cider squeezing. My sister-in-law’s garden full of pumpkins provided perfect photo opportunities.

In October at our camp, we put on a “pretty leaf party” with games, hikes, food and fun.

Fall is fantastic and busy and the only problem with it is that is goes by too fast! Enjoy each moment.

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Karen (Rose) Wils is a lifelong north Escanaba resident. Her columns appear weekly in Lifestyles.