seeking fall where fall doesn't live

first day we sought for it in Mount Baldy. there was nothing there, almost nothing. a few yellow leaves that put together couldn't dress up a tree. it felt like running for chimeras, even tho the scenery was breathtaking. one aspect noted: the amazing thing about Los Angeles is that without a transition between the flats and the heights, in a heartbeat you're up in stratosphere. similarly, the temperature, blazing hot at the mountain base into the 3 digits, drops 20 degrees just 15 min later. so it was very pleasurable in Baldy, and the silence sublime. and there were trees. green. The Fall - that specific fall that I've been missing since moving to Los Angeles some 11 years ago - I found not much of it and disappointment grew when I realized that there might not even be one(fall). how come I didn't realize this all these years? well, all these years I was able to do back East where Fall lives. this year I didn't go. Driving up meaning to higher altitude, the road ends and from there there's a 10 min walk, on a paved alley, to a tiny waterfall that you might miss if not looking closely.
a day later I did the same but on my own. I chose to go toward Big Bear. I found a little more of what looked like leftovers of fall. it felt very good, it felt I could stop and listen to the surrounding - I would be calm enough to do that. took a new route, CA18, to reach Crestline and the Lake Gregory. this little town is charming by how it built its relationship with the lake - it's all a park around it, peaceful and safe, still open to everyone, money didn't interfere yet. Blue Jay and Lake Arrowhead, a little richer and fuller in shopping, with no opening to the lake itself - because it's taken - confirmed that money interfered dramatically here. but I still liked it, even strangely declared that I could live there. higher up was Big Bear Lake. I arrived there in the same time with the night. I wasn't upset because I had seen Big Bear before, and because it is a lot higher, foliage doesn't appear but briefly, a lot earlier than this time, when you don't feel the need for fall yet. Big Bear Lake feels remote, highest, at some end which is true as there's nothing beyond that except the ski resort and bear territory. there's is also a sense of serenity around, a peace that you cannot find at lower altitudes which are denser in population, traffic. one common thing all-around is the wooden bear statues. I eve found a dedicated yard full with statues of standing bears ready for sale. the village is charming - how could not that be - without Starbucks or other corporate businesses and pretty original in its self. during the week is a much better time to stop by if you're not so fond of crowds; you can literally listen to the nature which doesn't speak in some way and that is what makes it so lovable.