The fall colors may not have quite materialized, but the good times certainly did! We were a bit early for the fickle fall colors on Matilija Creek, given how hot our late summer and early fall have been.  But we took advantage of the warm weather by enjoying the creek's swimming holes.  Surprisingly, there was still quite a lot of water in the creek, even after six rain-less months and a fairly dry winter before that.  The five of us relished our camp under spruces and sycamores, and we marveled at how wild the landscape seemed, even though we were quite close to the city, as the crow flies.