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Fall Foliage route planning, New England, 2009!
Following less Traveled routes in Vermont
by Jeff "Foliage" Folger
A farm shot with a tellephoto lens from the other side of the valley. Columbus day weekend.
I photographed them on Colvin rd. They were just there by lucky happen stance. Try doing this on a busy roadway.
Looking through to the color beyond the barn
Where do you want to go today? So Many places and so little time...
Danby was the adoptive home of Pearl S. Buck who was everything from a wife and mother all the way to a Nobel winner for literature (the first American woman) I always enjoy finding these things off the beaten path!
I don't know... Something just strikes me wrong with this cow.. What do you think? Shot down in Danby on Columbus Day weekend...
Planning your route, go with the crowds or go it alone?
Ok, so now you have decided on what you want to see and where you're heading. Now let's get more specific and actually start thinking about routes. If you are coming in early October you will be thinking more northerly and by Columbus Day weekend you will be in the mid-NH/VT/ME areas to southern areas and Northern Mass, although last year this weekend was particularly colorful in the Barre to Sturbridge Mass area. After this weekend the color quickly moves south but remember if you have reservations and can't change them then you may have to be flexible enough to look for areas near lakes if the color is running early or higher elevation if it's running late.
About now you're probably asking me to be more specific and tell you when? Heck even I won't know that until it happens. I'm going to tell you about a route in Vermont that stretches from the Canadian border to the Mass border. Last Columbus day weekend while folks were slugging it out on the highways (route 112 and the Kangamangus come to mind) Lisa and I were waaay over on route 7 in Vermont. We started first thing in the morning and drove all day until we got to Barre Mass that evening.
Can you do it? Yes but I won't recommend it. This really needs to be broken up into 2-3 days to enjoy it. Do you have your Gazetteer out? Ok, look on page 25 and look for Danby VT. You can see Mt Tabor rising on the eastern side of route 7 and Dorset MT on the west side. If this is close to being Peak for this area, you will have fantastic color rising steeply on both sides of you and this can be quite a sight.
Last year I was looking for a rental farm on Colvin hill rd and on the way there I traveled up above route 7 and I was able to look across the valley to a farm on the side of MT Tabor. (#1 pic) Then I came upon some horses in a paddock with color around them (#2 pic) and then arriving at the farm there wasn't as much color as I was hoping for. What it did have was a barn dating back to the 1800's and while it was falling down it did present me with options for pictures. I like looking through the windows at the color beyond the old rough window frames, comparing the color and textures.
There are a few pictures from down in Danby which was the adoptive home of Pearly S. Buck who lead the way in civil rights activism. Surprised, you never know wht you find in these sleepy little towns. I can't put my finger on this last picture but there is something not quite right with this cow... You tell me what do you think?
We were soon on the road again and believe it or not the near peak that we had there had peaked and faded by the time we stopped in Bennington for dinner. The next day in Barre MA the color was once again near peak or getting there depending on where we looked. So this is why you need to try and build some flexibility into your trip!
Ok, so today we've talked about getting off the highway and trying the less traveled roads. Second you need to have a good map book Delorme's Gazetteer is my primary but any map book that has points of interest and local attractions and detailed maps down to the secondary and even tertiary (dirt) roads is good.
Next, if you have a good GPS you can use this to locate places of interest along with lodgings and I'll have more on this next week in my interview with another foliage photographer form California.
Did you know that Yankee is up on Facebook and Twitter? Well click on the links below and you can get your updates all year long!
Yankee on Facebook and Yankee on Twitter.
I hope to hear from you throughout the summer and if you have any questions please feel free to ask them here in the comments section or over in the foliage forum and I and the other forum regulars will do their best to answer them.
Jeff "Foliage" Folger Got Foliage? Click here to Follow me in real time on twitter and ask questions which I will try to answer equally in real time?
Reader Comments
Comment from Heather Atwell on June 8, 2009
Hi Jeff - It's great to see and read your foliage blogs!
Comment from Jeff Folger on June 8, 2009
Hi Heather, it's great to be back. In reading the Old Farmers Almanac it says it should be a really good fall foliage season so we just have to enjoy the summer and see what kind of show Mother Nature puts on for us...
Comment from sebastia young on August 4, 2009
Hi Jeff, I need help big time. We're planning a trip starting in Long Island, NY and traveling up to Maine to see the changing of leaves. Do you recommend going before the week of October 9, 10th or 11th or right after that? We have to be in NY that weekend. We need some recommendations on routes and accommodations. We enjoy the out of the way places. We're looking at accommodations around $75-$200 per night. Could you help?
Thank you,
Sebastian.
Comment from Marie Astrid Gonzalez on September 17, 2009
Hi Jeff, Im planning a week long trip to New England starting the weekend of Oct 10th. We are starting at my reunion at RISD and visiting Boston. Like the last comment I'd love recommendations on routes and accommodations. We also enjoy the out of the way places and want to know places in Massachusetts where we can drive to see the changing of the leaves in the country side. thanks for your help!!
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