The following is a guest post by Nathan Andrew Winters, known on twitter as @follownathan. Here he describes his nearly 5 months in the bicycle saddle, exploring the USA. All photos here were taken by Nathan. Nathan is currently living near Stowe, VT where he is working on his book that tells his story straight from the heart. For more, see yesterday’s Mother Nature Sunday Gallery here at LoveEarthAlways.com blog.

On Mother’s Day May 10th 2009 I set out on a cross country bicycle adventure starting in Belfast, Maine. My destination was the Washington coast and I had very little worry about what came in between. With a peaked curiosity into environmental and agriculture issues and the never ending desire to see what type of obscure situations I could land myself in… I packed 70 pounds of gear on my bike, kissed my mother goodbye and set out to live my dreams.

My experiences on this journey allowed me to do the one thing in which I was most eager to accomplish most. And that was get to know my fellow Americans. On this journey I visited, stayed with and exchanged long conversations with all walks of American life. From the Amish, organic, and conventional farmers to hermits in cabins, college professors, drunkards, and just about everything in between.

Over 4.5 months time I had done what most people advised me not to do. I rode a bicycle from coast to coast going East to West fully loaded. During this journey I was faced with many physical, emotional and mental challenges and with a great deal of determination and an amplified sense of intuition I climbed over mountain passes in extreme heat, against relentless winds and with an overwhelming sense of uncertainty.

When my journey was complete I walked away knowing that I would never have to live with regret and that we all share the ability to live out our dreams if we just learn to put our fears aside. I had also come to understand and witness countless people doing great things in their communities all over America despite all of the negative talk you see and hear in the main stream news outlets. America is still the kind of place where you can ask a complete stranger for help and you will find an answer. With or without the swine flu and an economic recession. America is still a place we can all be proud of.

On Mother’s Day May 10th 2009 I set out on a cross country bicycle adventure starting in Belfast, Maine. My destination was the Washington coast and I had very little worry about what came in between. With a peaked curiosity into environmental and agriculture issues and the never ending desire to see what type of obscure situations I could land myself in… I packed 70 pounds of gear on my bike, kissed my mother goodbye and set out to live my dreams..

Photos Courtesy of Nathan Winters. See Nathan’s blog post describing his trip here at LoveEarthAlways tomorrow!

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All photos by Nathan Winters, @follownathan

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Last week we had our first mountain snowfalls and several days the temperature never rose above freezing on the peaks as skiers and boarders began to dust off their “old boards” to take advantage of early carving. At the same time the color change slid from the upper elevations into the valleys. Snow capped peaks with pinks, golds and browns below- this is my favorite part of autumn.

For leaf-lovers it is now only a matter of time until this splendor slowly and steadily falls, blows and rains to an end, and then dries with freezing temperatures in a couple of weeks. The leaves on my lawn are already crunchy and smelling like a classy cachet of rustic Vermont. Pardon me, I have to take advantage of this perfect light and grab some more pictures! But you should pause, enjoy, and stay awhile…

Pondmagic: Afternoon light reflecting colors off the pond.

OctoberSailingMalletsBay: Spinnakers in a 45 degree wind for hardy sailors.

Mt. Mansfield: Frosted with three inches of snow and a blanket of leaves below. Notice the horizontal “face” with the forehad to the right, moving left to the “nose” and moving left to the “lips” and “chin”.

One in an infinite number of patches of vibrant color in the hills.

Autumn Leaves: Nature composts her own waste. These leaves will decay and rebuild the soil in the forest that was once in farm production.

CamelsHump: The second-highest peak in Vermont, soaring above the hills. Native americans called it “Crouching Lion”.

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This is the first wave of my photos fresh from the mountains, hills and valleys of Vermont. As a kid I remember asking my father what was his favorite season. His answer was “October”. Sometime in mid to late September, the green leaves start tinge-ing to bright gold, fluorescent pink, deep crimson, and every shade in between. It begins in the highest elevations where the first frost hits and works its way down the hillsides into the valleys, and finally along the lake, where the water retains summer’s heat the longest.

Riding through the countryside through a brilliant light show is one of the ultimate joys of living up this way. The falling leaves flit down through the air and collect on the ground, waiting to be raked into piles for children to jump in. Ultimately they enrich our compost piles for next summer. The smells of the drying leaves give a potpurri scent that is indescribable and cannot be imitated. If you get out into the hills when the first leaves turn in the mountains and steadfastly follow the leaves down into the valleys, you can see up to five or six weeks of foliage, and more if you follow the light show south.

Early morning fog is burning off at the river surface as sunlight radiates off turning leaves and water.

Mount Mansfield’s famous ridgeline is shrouded in clouds as sunshine lights up the foothills below.

A private road near the lake in Ferrisburg beginning to show colors in the trees and the ground carpet during the first week of October.

A field in Williston bordered with sugar maples and glowing foothills in the background.

No foliage road trip is complete without an autumn trip to Round Barn farm, complete with an art gallery in the magnificent barn.

Sugarbush Ski Area is home of it’s namesake, the sugar maple, which produces the gorgeous pink leaves in autumn and delicate maple syrup in the spring.