This week I'm bringing my travel scope much closer to home.

Now that the kiddies are back in school and days are getting shorter, you don't have a week to explore the Southwest or two to go to Europe. I get it.

Fortunately, we live in one of the best places in the U.S. for fall, and there's so much to do right here. Thus was born the idea for my overly ambitious list of 100 things you can do and see this fall within 100 miles of home.

The places on this list are fabulous for an afternoon, a day trip, or even a weekend. So get going!

1. Watch the burly men compete in Lumberjack Days in Kamiah. (Sept. 17-20).

2. Float the North Fork of the Coeur d'Alene River one last time before winter.

3. Take a hike in Farragut State Park.

4. Take one last dive off the cliffs of Tubbs Hill before the water gets too cold to swim.

5. Practice your serve at the Cherry Hill tennis courts before the nets come down.

6. Bike the Centennial Trail (full length is 61 miles).

7. Check out the Fiddle Contest at the Coeur d'Alene Casino (Sept. 19-20).

8. Run the "Stomp Out Abuse" 5K run in Spokane on Sept. 20.

9. Been there, done that for the golf courses in town? Try the new nine-hole course up at Silver Mountain.

10. While you're there, take the gondola up Silver Mountain for a beautiful view.

11. Or plan your outing for Oct. 2-54 to enjoy Harvest Fest.

12. Participate in the Coeur d'Fondo on Sept. 26.

13. Or if biking isn't your thing, head up to Pend Oreille for the last rowing race of the year.

14. Then get your Bru on for Oktoberfest in Coeur d'Alene Sept. 25-26, Priest River Sept. 26, Hope Oct. 3, or Harrison Oct. 4 - or make the rounds at all of them

15. If you're more dedicated to German culture, head out to Leavenworth for the weekend and experience the closest we have to a real German Oktoberfest (you have three chances to go on Oct. 2-3, 9-10, 16-17!).

16. Enjoy an exhilarating jet boat tour down the Snake River out of Lewiston, or, if you're feeling really adventurous, tour the canyon from above in a helicopter.

17. While you're in Lewiston, check out the 6,000 year-old petroglyphs of Buffalo Eddy.

18. Take a weekend trip out to Thompson Falls for some hiking and, of course, beautiful waterfalls

19. Feeling like some ornithology? You can see the high-diving Ospreys on Fernan Lake, or

20. Spend the afternoon at Higgens Point watching bald eagles soar.

21. If you're a serious bird-watcher, head out to Potholes State Park for the weekend. It's famous for the wide variety of native birds.

22. Rent a kayak for the day (or weekend) at one of our many lakes, or for travel down the St. Joe River.

23. Check out some huge work horses at the Idaho Draft Horse and Mule International Expo at the Bonner County Fairgrounds (Sept. 25-27).

24. Take your Harley down the scenic Yaak River Road out of Troy, Mont.

25. While you're out in Western Montana, drive a little further to check out Lake Koocanusa for a chance to catch the elusive burbot.

26. Get your adrenaline fix at Skydive West Plains in Ritzville.

27. Pick the last of the huckleberries near Priest Lake.

28. Have some family fun for free at Valleyfest in Spokane Valley (Sept. 25-27).

29. Spend a few weekends this fall at Green Bluff north of Spokane. The first event is the famous apple harvest with tons of farms and varieties to choose from.

30. Next up is just before Halloween when you can find your heirloom pumpkins and gourds for baking and carving (psst: the blue and white pumpkins are very chic). They also have hayrides, artisans, and games in a full-blown harvest party.

31. Break out the pole and drive down to Orofino for some of the best salmon fishing.

32. Take a trip out to the Grand Coulee Dam.

33. Listen for bugling elk out at the National Bison Range.

34. Spend a quiet weekend on Priest Lake after all the tourists have gone home.

35. Get a burger at the historic Hudson's Hamburgers (the joint turns 108 this year)

36. Drive the back side of Lake Coeur d'Alene down to Harrison, and

37. Go antiquing in St. Maries.

38. Or, if you're a serious collector, check out Custer's Fall Antique and Collector's Sale at the Spokane Fairgounds.

39. Watch a mighty river fall 200 feet into a perfectly round canyon at Palouse Falls State Park

40. Channel your inner cowboy for the weekend at the Western Pleasure Guest Ranch in Sandpoint. They also have horse-drawn carriage rides!

41. Go on a quest to find all the sculptures of Mudgy and Millie in Coeur d'Alene.

42. Have a fun day outside skeet shooting at the Coeur d'Alene Skeet & Trap Club.

43. Have an adults-only, relaxing day at the Pend Oreille Winery.

44. Head down to Moscow for a Vandals game (or if you're a Cougars fan, Pullman is just 20 minutes away.)

45. While you're there, go to the cheese-lover's paradise at WSU's creamery for some Cougar Gold cheese. It's hands-down the best cheese I've ever had.

46. Learn about Idaho history at the Old Cataldo Mission.

47. While you're there, look carefully down near the river for a gathering of moose.

48. Then continue on to Wallace for more history lessons at the Northern Pacific Depot Railroad Museum.

49. And finish up your history day with a gold mine tour in Kellogg.

50. Scout up-and-coming country stars at Nashville North.

Next time: If you manage to get through all these before the end of September, I'll have 50 more to cross off the list!

Julianna Satterly is a Coeur d'Alene Charter Academy graduate who worked as the Editor in Chief of her college newspaper at Washington and Lee University for 3 years. She's lived in three states, visited 28 others and has toured 13 countries. Contact her at [email protected], or on Facebook or Twitter @jsattz.