Pennsylvania's Somerset County Pictures

If Pennsylvania had a roof, it would certainly be Somerset County. The highest point in the state, Mount Davis, is found here and the county's eastern and western borders are defined by very tall mountain ridges: Laurel Ridge in the west and Allegheny Front in the east. Despite being called into the national limelight by several disasters — September 11th's Flight 93 and the QueCreek Mine Rescue — the county's scenic beauty, historic covered bridges, and rural farms seem a universe apart from the stresses of the outside world. When the calendar turns to October I always have some trips to Somerset County in my plans. Normally the color's pinnacle is reached high atop Mount Davis in early October followed by the rest of the county by October 12 - 16. This year (2007), however, nature had some different plans for the peak was reached about October 22 and perhaps cut prematurely by a major storm of wind and rain that immediately followed. Unfortunately the short duration did limit the amount of locations I photographed, but I believe some of the ones I got to were captured at their best. That'll give me the freedom to branch out to other locales next year in the hopes of offering a comprehensive view of Pennsylvania's Somerset County.