The brisk October weather is finally beginning to settle in to all the valleys and cracks stretching across our gorgeous state, having already left snow scattered across our mountainous peaks. Fruit season is ending, and flowers dwindle with the last petals of summer falling away. Nighttime temperatures will soon drop below freezing, sending green lawns across the state into dormancy. Another year is slowly winding down, and although that sleepy, solemn feeling of fall overtakes us at points, there is whimsy around every corner.
Pumpkin patches, for one, are a splendid way to experience the cool fall days, with 
vast crops of pumpkins strewn throughout Colorado farms. Parents can take their kids to a local open field where they will romp like the wild beasts they are, choosing pumpkins in the process. The adults can also select from a variety of sizes, as pumpkins are a traditional delight to accentuate any home or business. Also, for those with significant others, or those who want to impress that pretty lil’ gal, a day at the pumpkin patch may just win his or her heart. With Halloween only two weeks away, make sure you take time to carve yourself a jack o’ lantern, as these are some of the fall traditions that last a lifetime.
For those who like something a little more on the entertainment side, corn and straw mazes (haunted or not) can be found throughout the countryside in Colorado. These mazes consist of corn stalks taller than your head, formed into massive corridors where people sometimes spend hours trying to find their way out. To think that people can have fun by purposely getting themselves lost may sound odd, but these mazes open up the imagination to a whole labyrinth of chases, scares, and bonding amongst friends and family. To test yourself in one of these mazes-and possibly get chased with a chainsaw in the meantime-can be quite exhilarating.
Besides these places, one can find their own Eden of fall colors in various places. Travel to a local park in your favorite fall sweater and take a walk through reds and yellows while the trees talk amongst themselves in the autumn breeze. Head down to your local farmers market or produce store and buy colorful gourds and Indian corn to decorate your porch. And last but not least-and my personal favorite-take all those annoying fall leaves, pile them up in the backyard, and watch as a boring and tedious rake-job turns into a heavenly playground to entertain your children for hours. You might even find yourself taking a dive.
