Ah, Fall.

It's official.

Fall is in the air.

It's 9:30 am. It's 55 degrees outside.

And it's crazy how just two short months in Northern California makes these temperatures feel frigid. To the Colorado or Missouri Andy, this would feel tropical.

Still, it's my favorite time of year, even in this fall foliage-challenged part of the country.

In honor of the first fall-like day we've had here, my mom and I went to Half Moon Bay, home to the famous Mavericks surf competition, the best Ramus Fizz on the planet (in my somewhat limited experience with this delightful cocktail), and also home to dozens of pumpkin patches.

Pumpkins everywhere!

And not just your run of the mill orange ones. There's huge gnarled ones, tiny little ones, and every type of gourd and squash I've ever seen, and some I have never seen.

Did you know they grow light green pumpkins?

Accompanied with autumn is my insatiable desire to hit up the Northeast, home to some of the most fantastic fall foliage around. Summer's hot, winter's bitter, but fall may make it all worth it.

Here are some places I want to go right now:

Ziplining in Massachusetts: conquering my fear of heights with a birds' eye views miles and miles of colorful trees would make me one happy "leaf peeper."

Then I want to go to Camden Hills State Park in Maine, where I can hike in, or just sit and stare at this view from afar. The only thing better than marvelous fall colors is the contrast of the colors against the water.

I've always wanted to visit Salem around Halloween. There's an Annual Psychic Fair and Witchcraft Expo! And a creepy looking Terror Trail (which could tie with ziplining as the most scary thing I've ever done.) And for the history nerd in all of us, there's the Salem Witch Museum, which I've seen before and will happily see again.

And I want to stay here, an old stagecoach tavern from 1773. There's a porch with rocking chairs and creeky floors. I'll feel like I'm actually sleeping in a Normal Rockwell painting!

Not that I'll mind.

This time of year, there's no better place to be.