By Paul Birkhead
Rowan Public Library

Autumn is a truly special season. There is something particularly exhilarating about cool mornings, sun-kissed afternoons and taking a stroll through fallen leaves. It is a wonderful time of year to travel, take a hike, and capture the beauty of autumn with your digital camera or phone.

As you plan your autumn travel adventures, stop by Rowan Public Library and check out books that will help you design your next trip. The mountains of North Carolina are usually a top choice for leaf watchers and hikers. The damage left by Hurricane Helene may affect your destination or route this year, so find new travel ideas by looking through these titles available at the library.

“Moon North Carolina” is part of the series of Moon travel books. This edition, which focuses on travel within the Tar Heel State, has information about attractions, scenic drives and weekend or multi-day itineraries. From the mountains to the coast, planning a North Carolina adventure should start here. “North Carolina Day Trips” by Marla Hardee Milling and “Backroads of North Carolina: Your Guide to Great Day Trips & Weekend Getaways” by Kevin Adams are two other solid choices.

Exploring by foot your thing? Lace up your hiking boots and hit the trail. But first, find information and inspiration from these books. “Backpacking North Carolina” by Joe Miller, “Hiking North Carolina” by Randy Johnson and “North Carolina Waterfalls: a Hiking and Photography Guide” by Kevin Adams are all waiting for you on the shelves of the library.

Many travel and hiking guides contain tips and suggestions for photographing the beauty of the area you visit. If you enjoy taking photos, the library has a plethora of books featuring stunning photography and “how-to” guides so you can enhance your own skills.

“Bird planet: A Photographic Journey” by Tim Laman is a beautiful book of photographs of birds from all over the world. Capturing birds in the wild is one of the most challenging subjects in photography. Paging through this volume, one can really appreciate Mr. Laman’s talent. There are breathtaking places to visit and photograph all over the globe. In “The Perfect Shot” by Lonely Planet, the travel guide experts, you can view some of the best photographs of worldwide destinations and learn exactly how each photo was taken.

If you want to sharpen your skills as a photographer, check out the titles offered by photo professional and author Scott Kelby such as “The Travel Photography Book,” “The Digital Photography Book,” and “The iPhone Photography Book.” Each title is full of instructions and advice on how to become a better shutterbug.

Of course, one of the best ways to get better is to practice. The library is once again offering you the chance to join us for a photowalk. What is a photowalk? It is a special event held on a set day and time to walk around an area together and take photographs. This coming Saturday, Nov. 2, at 10 a.m., we will be meeting at Lake Corriher Wilderness Park located across the road from Rowan Public Library’s South Branch in China Grove. Registration is requested. Want to view photos from past walks? Visit bit.ly/RPL-Photowalk-Album. For more information and to register for the upcoming event, visit bit.ly/Photowalk-LakeCorriher or contact RPL Librarian Paul Birkhead at 704-216-7737 or email Paul.Birkhead@rowancountync.gov. For more information about photography books in the library, visit www.RowanPublicLibrary.org, call 980-432-8670, or visit your nearest library branch.

Paul Birkhead is a librarian at Rowan Public Library.