The leaves are changing, the air is chilly—you’re not just going to stay in, are you? These 5 apps and sites will help you enjoy the outdoors this fall.
OPEN: Hi! I’m Charlie Kaplan and this is Netted Does.
INTRO: Fall—unquestionably the best season. The foliage is magnificent, the apple pie delectable, and the sunburns less likely to ruin your Mondays. You’ve got to take advantage of the season while you’ve got it, and here are five ways to do that.
Google Treks: Let’s start with Google Treks. Yep, when they’re not making self-driving cars and trying to cure death (true story), the Goog mastered the relaxing outdoor amble. It’ll recommend great hikes for you, and if you’re stuck in your office, has got street view for the trail. Ah, I can just smell the — wait, that’s just the office toaster catching on fire again.
Merlin: Hey ornithologists! Lemme try that again: Hey birdwatchers! Check out Merlin, which is not a magic app, unless you think that an app that can help you identify any bird in the sky with a short set of questions is magic. Which, like, duh.
StarWalk: Hey, what do Alpheratz, Cepheus, and Andromeda all have in common? Other than being prohibitively hard to spell, they’re all among the Autumn constellations. You probably wouldn’t have known that unless you got StarWalk, which catalogues the night sky in all it’s unspellable enormity.
Fall Foliage Map: Let’s say you’re really hardcore with this foliage thing. Like REALLY. You should check out the Fall Foliage Map from SmokyMountains.com. This is where you can find leaf reports (whatever those are) and predictions for national leaf color changes, if you’re a betting man.
ApplePickingOrchards.com: If all that apoptosis speculation has you hankering for a heaping helping of something, check out ApplePickingOrchards.com, a locator for apple orchards in all 50 states, and what apples are available where. I, for one, only eat macouns. Only.
OUTRO: Getting that fall feeling yet? I promise it’s not the toaster this time.