IF I WANT TO VIEW fall colors, I needn’t go far. I can step into my backyard to see glorious golden maples. Up the street from my Willow Street home, more trees blaze. If I follow Second Avenue to its intersection with Seventh Street, I’ll find especially vibrant trees on a corner property owned by friends Mark and Laurie. There are more splashy hues along Seventh Street and all about town. Tree-lined bluffs rising above the Straight River burst with color. Faribault is a beautiful, historic riverside city anytime, but especially in autumn.
Yet, even with all the colorful trees in town, I like to go into the countryside to see the colors, too. And it’s not just about the orange, red and yellow leaves. It’s also about sky and water, fields and farms, the “all” which comprises and defines rural Minnesota in September and October.
It’s also about following back gravel roads, the vehicle kicking up dust. It’s about meeting massive farm equipment on roadways. It’s about stopping to look at a weathered barn. It’s about traveling at a slower pace.
And it’s about stopping, exiting the van to walk into the woods or stand along the shoreline of an area lake to admire a colorful tree line.
As a native of the mostly treeless southwestern Minnesota prairie, it was not until I moved to Rice County in 1982 that I fully realized just how overwhelmingly stunning this season is in our state. I didn’t grow up going on vacations with the exception of two—one at age four to Duluth and the second to the Black Hills of South Dakota during my elementary school years. But each autumn, my siblings and I piled into the Chevy with our parents for a Sunday afternoon fall color drive along the Minnesota River Valley from north of Echo to Morton.
And so my love of Sunday drives (which were frequent during my youth because Dad wanted to look at the crops) evolved. As did my understanding that all we needed to do was travel a short distance to see a different landscape. One with woods, colorful woods, in autumn.
The topography of Rice County is incredibly diverse. From the familiar flat prairie to rolling hills and valleys to lakes and rivers and streams, it’s all right here. Lovely.
I encourage Sunday afternoon drives, or whatever day works for you. Forget about schedules and the work at home. Get in the vehicle and go. Go local. Appreciate what’s right in your backyard.
Pull over along a gravel road, if it’s safe to do so, and take in the countryside. Stand along the shore of a lake. Walk into the woods. Hear the crunch of dried leaves beneath your soles. Look up at the colorful leaves. And see, really see, the autumn beauty that surrounds you…before winter strips the land, leaving it naked and exposed.
© Copyright 2025 Audrey Kletscher Helbling
Minnesota Prairie Roots 
I agree. Some of the most spectacular Fall color displays we’ve seen in our 4 years here were around the little lake (Lost Lake) just a few blocks from our house. It seems, however, that we just can’t help ourselves for wanting to see what the leaves look like farther from home. 🍂🍁😉
You are exactly right. We still want to check out other locations for fall colors.
Yes, we managed to take in a walk through the woods yesterday. Afterward, we were happy!
Oh, good. Being outdoors is great for both physical and mental health, as you well know. 🙂
oh yes, you are so right. get out there, look around, up and down, and it’s all right there for the seeing –
Yup!
We, too, went for Sunday drives when I was growing up. We still use the term he’s a “Sunday Driver” meaning, of course, they are going extra slow. But that was what it was all about then… Gary and I do love to go for drives, but not necessarily on Sundays anymore.
Now that we’re retired, it doesn’t need to be Sundays anymore. 🙂
Love the barn photo…
Thank you. I love weathered barns.
Great “Fall” reporting and photography, Audrey! Thank you so much! We’ve so much affordable housing going up, the little neighborhood clumps of trees are disappearing quickly. I’m actually making a point of taking the long way to church, etc., allowing extra time to see the big boys still up and glowing in the sun. Our hoa property lost 45 ash trees to emerald ash borer several years ago, took away my golden canopy over my patio and view out the upstairs. My folks always drove the long way on country roads visiting family too. Living on the East Side all my life was picture perfect. Thanks!
I’m sorry you’re losing all those trees due to development and also emerald ash borer. I never do understand why developers remove trees other than it’s a financial thing. We walked around the MSAD campus and neighborhood on Saturday. The trees were still beautiful. But yesterday’s wind may have dropped most of them.