Foliage Adventures Blog from YankeeFoliage.com

Guest Blog: Foliage Season Isn't Over Yet

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Mon, 01 Nov 2010 04:00:00 +0100

View Susan Cole Kelly's slide show on YankeeMagazine.com/!

Foliage season is more than half over, and the color is slowly migrating from northern to southern New England. The maples turned golden early enough so that there was a buzz about an early season, but it just didn't happen. This year's warm weather continued into October, delaying the frost that paints sugar maples a neon red. Then several autumn storms blew in, and blew away any leaves that had ripened enough to drop. So is it over?

Nahhh, it isn't over till the leaf lady sings!

As I look forward to the second half of foliage season, I anticipate a very different experience. Concord and the North Shore of Massachusetts. Cape Cod. Rhode Island, with its forested interior and coast seeming like two different states. The Connecticut coast. Maybe a trip to Nantucket. Every year I think about following the color to Virginia or the Smokies in Tennessee, but there's so much here, so close to home, well, why bother?

Northern New England still has its late-autumn attractions. The snow goose migration in Addison, VT, is spectacular. The nightly creep of the snow line from mountaintop to valley foreshadows the coming season. And the rhime frost - actually fog frozen on branches - is magical. In New Hampshire, Mount Washington dons its winter coat early, as Currier and Ives villages prepare for the season with neat piles of firewood.

I can't cover Maine in one descriptive blanket. Its sparkling coast and shining lighthouses are my favorite November subject. Acadia's woods, suddenly revealed by the sparse foliage, are quiet except for the swish of underfoot leaves. Snowy Mount Katahdin towers over timberlands turning pale as winter moves in.

The land descends gradually from Massachusetts' Mount Greylock to the villages around Quabbin to the tidal estuaries and shallow harbors of the coast. The early color of sugar maples gradually gives way to oak-pine forest near Boston and Cape Cod.

Connecticut's highlands and magnificent state parks are a photographer's playground. Since the climate is milder, boats linger in the harbors and create lovely views well into autumn. In Rhode Island, the oaks' colors are more muted, richer, and longer-lasting. Blueberry groundcover turns scarlet and saltmarshes glow orange. Autumn color unfolds above and below. Now that I think of it, I can't wait to get started!

I had intended this blog to be a discussion of how to fix common photography problems, and Yankee has graciously agreed to host me. Please be patient! I'll be back soon with a problem - and a fix. Until then, join me outside in the foliage. Enjoy the slideshow!

See more of Susan Cole Kelly's photography at susancolekelly.photoshelter.com/

Join in on the photography discussion at Facebook.com/NewEnglandPhotography

AMC Great Kids, Great Outdoors Blogger Shares Top Fall Hikes for Kids

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Tue, 26 Oct 2010 04:00:00 +0100

In a recent four-part series, Kristen Laine, who writes the blog "Great Kids, Great Outdoors" for the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC), featured ten of the 25 towns that made Yankee Magazine's "Top 25 Foliage Towns" list in the September/October 2010 issue. The series, called "Great Kids, Great Outdoors Top 10 Towns for Fall Hikes," focused on the towns that earned a top score for hikes from Yankee, along with a couple of Kristen's personal favorites from the list.

To determine the top foliage towns for Yankee's article, a variety of tourism professionals, as well as Yankee's own writers and editors, first nominated communities for an initial review. The top contenders were then scored on a scale from 0 to 5 in 14 essential attributes of a perfect fall foliage outing: color intensity, scenery, vistas, nearby water, scenic drives, hikes, culture, farmers' markets and farmstands, orchards, covered bridges, state or local parks, the quality and variety of shops to browse, tourism amenities such as hotels and restaurants, and a category called "uncrowded" — giving a boost to less touristy locations.

Thanks to Kristen for sharing these great suggestions for hikes. They are perfect for kids of all ages. Enjoy!

Hiking through Yankee's "Top 25 Towns for Foliage"

The Top 3: Hiking through Yankee's Top 25 Towns for Foliage

The Ski Town 4: Hiking through Yankee's Top 25 Towns for Foliage

The Final 2 (and a Bonus 2): Hiking through Yankee's Top 25 Towns for Foliage

Tour Boston on a Bike with Urban AdvenTours

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 04:00:00 +0100

Back in 2004, Andrew Prescott decided to stop working as an accountant. He founded Urban AdvenTours, a Boston bike tour company. Today, Urban AdvenTours, located in Boston's North End near the New England Aquarium and Faneuil Hall, operates a full-service bike shop with bike rentals for all ages, and hosts a myriad of themed bike tourssuch as a City View Bicycle Tour, Tour de Boston, Funway to Fenway, Paul Revere Ride to Freedom, plus a limited time only Emerald Necklace and Fall Foliage Tour. This tour travels through 15 miles of the historic Emerald Necklace park system. The last foliage tour is on October 31. Make haste to get this in before all the foliage falls.

When you show up for the tour, you are outfitted with a bike, helmet, water, a tour guide--and an instant group of riding buddies! While pedaling around the city on tour, you get to take in the sites and spread good bike karma.

Chief Wheel Officer/Owner Andrew is passionate about biking not only for sport, but for its positive environmental attributes. Pedal power means no fossil fuels are being burned. Andrew really "bikes the talk" on his company's eco-initiatives. The company's truck, which makes bike delivery drop-offs to local hotels for tour groups, runs on vegetable oil. He's working with the city to make Boston more bike friendly. Real good stuff and that is just a little sampling.

Bike. Foliage. Boston. Sounds like a perfect way to spend a few hours. Thinking about going on a bike tour in Boston? In the words of Andrew Prescott: "Make it happen!"

5 Questions with Andrew Prescott of Urban AdvenTours

Since you started your company, what bike trends have you noticed in Boston?

We keep seeing more and more cyclists on the road, but many of them still don't know the rules. "Salmon" are probably the worst, people who ride against traffic. Our tours encourage and educate on how to properly navigate our urban landscape.

What is the most memorable thing that has happened on one of your tours?

The city is always different and our tours change with the flow of our urban environment. There's always something going on and the most memorable situation was probably in June 2009. Several of my buddies from college had come to visit and joined a Saturday morning tour. We're having a great time, nothing recognizably unusual is happening, but as we are riding up Beacon Hill we start to hear people cheering. It turns out that we had taken a turn and ended up right at the front of the Pride Week Parade.

Of all the tours you offer, which is your favorite?

The City View Tour is probably my favorite tour that is available year round, but right now nothing beats the Emerald Necklace and Fall Foliage tour. It's a really pleasant longer ride and the scenery is fantastic along the whole route.

Do you miss you life as an accountant?

Hahahaa, no.

Any words of wisdom or special credo?

We have a lot of mottos around the shop. My staff likes to make fun of me for ending a lot of my emails with "make it happen."

5 Questions for AMC's Rob Burbank

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Thu, 14 Oct 2010 04:00:00 +0100

Cool temperatures and spectacular views sum up why fall is my favorite season to hike. Fortunately for all of us who love the outdoors, in 1876, a small group of outdoor enthusiasts founded the Appalachian Mountain Club (AMC). Today it is the nation's oldest conservation and recreation organization. Its 12 chapters span the northeast from Washington, DC to Maine. The AMC has over 100,000 members, advocates, and supporters and they offer 8,000 trips a year which focus on outdoor fun. Who better to give the scoop on fall hiking, than Rob Burbank. Based in New Hampshire, he is Director of Media and Public Affairs for the AMC. He is also a member of Appalachian Mountain Club's White Mountains Four-Thousand Footer Club for having climbed all 48 recognized peaks in New Hampshire with elevations of 4000 feet or greater.

5 Questions for Rob Burbank

Q: What are some of your earliest outdoor memories?

A: I enjoyed lots of family camping trips when I was young, and those experiences really led to what has become a lifelong interest in and involvement in the outdoors.

Q: Where's your favorite go-to hike?

A: My first choice is New Hampshire's Zealand Valley in the White Mountain National Forest. The area still holds tell-tale signs of the logging community that once thrived there. The valley was devastated by huge forest fires in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, but today, it's one of the most vibrant spots in the national forest, with mixed hardwoods that offer spectacular color during the fall foliage season. Signs of moose and beavers abound, and the area is home to a wide variety of birds. It's a real story of the regenerative power of nature. The hike to Zealand Falls is a favorite. Grades are relatively gentle, except for a short steep stretch at the approach to the falls and the Appalachian Mountain Club's Zealand Falls Hut, which provides a nice resting spot with a fantastic view of Carrigain Notch. The hut makes a nice overnight destination, too.

Q: Which hike would you recommend to see the best foliage views?

A: The same: The 2.8-mile hike to Zealand Falls via the Zealand Trail, at the end of the Zealand Road (Forest Road 16), and the Twinway. As you hike through this mixed-hardwood forest, it's as though you've become a part of an artist's canvas; the colors just surround you. The return trip is over the same route, so it's a 5.6-mile 'round trip.

Q: Education is a big part of AMC's mission. What are some important things the public should know?

A: We encourage people to practice Leave No Trace principles to minimize environmental impacts. It's important to stay on the trail to help protect surrounding vegetation, to view wildlife from a safe distance, and to carry out all that you carry in. It's also important to wear or carry gear and clothing that will keep you warm, dry, and protected from the wind. Essential gear includes map, compass, matches or lighter, whistle, flashlight or headlamp, jackknife, and first aid kit.

Trip planning is an essential part of any hike. AMC provides a variety of tips at www.outdoors.org/tripplanner/. We encourage folks to build a good base of outdoor skills and knowledge by taking an outdoor skills training course, reading and researching, and learning from others. Opportunities for outdoor leadership and skills training through AMC can be found at www.outdoors.org.

Q: When you go for a hike, what do you pack for lunch?

A: When packing for a hike, I try to pack food that travels well, such as a wrap sandwich, crunchy veggies, perhaps an apple or orange. I'll also bring along snacks, such as nuts or trail mix, to nibble on throughout the day to help maintain energy. And I always bring lots of water. Using a hands-free hydration system that slips into your pack can make it easy to sip often and helps you to stay properly hydrated.

Fall Craft Fairs and Fun Outside

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 04:00:00 +0100

I love brilliantly colored fall foliage, but what matters most to me is the color of the sky. If it's blue and the sun is shining, then foliage could be peak, post-peak, almost peak and I'd still be perfectly happy. Luckily for us weekend warriors, the last few fall weekends have been perfect examples of ideal fall weather.

As I am sure all of you diligent Yankee Magazine readers know, Manchester, Vermont, was ranked #3 on Yankee's top 25 foliage towns list. The towns that made the list were chosen not just on "best foliage views" but for the total foliage experience -- hikes, culture, orchards, shopping, food/lodging, plus a few others and...parks! I haven't played outside at a park for a long time, but last weekend I had the fortunate opportunity to spend an afternoon at the Dana L. Thomspon Memorial Park in the #3 foliage town. This park has tennis courts, lots of jungle gyms and soccer fields. I should not brag, but I scored 10 goals, though I was under duress. My nephew Collin would not let me leave the soccer field until I scored exactly 10 goals. He did cheer for each and every goal I scored so it all worked out. He also scored 10 goals in case anyone is keeping track.

In addition to playing soccer, I slid down slides, and played almost like a five year old does. My mother was entertaining my youngest nephew in many of the same ways while some of the adults in our group chatted at the picnic tables.

I gotta say that playing at a park totally counts as an outdoor fall foliage adventure. In fact, I think anything that any of us used to do regularly when we were kids outside in the fall counts as such.

In between playing at the park and my next activity in Manchester, I was able to sneak in a trip to the Gap. I know that most outdoor adventure purists would not consider shopping at the Gap a viable activity, but I really wanted to experience fall foliage based on Yankee's categories. Since shopping is one of them, I really had no choice.

To round out my weekend, I went to the annual Hildene Fall Arts Fair. Sunny skies, perfect weather and kettle corn. It was a nice way to end a mellow fall weekend spent in the outdoors. Lots of different types of crafters were there, but my favorite was Woody Jackson, live and in person. If you've ever licked a cone of Ben and Jerry's, then you should know who he is. And, if you don't know who he is, then use this as a good excuse to buy a pint of your favorite flavor and while savoring the creaminess, look at the carton. You'll see on the carton just what I think of as a perfect fall day: blue skies (and some very cute cows).

5 Questions for Peace of Mind Guaranteed (POMG) Bike Tour Founder

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Fri, 24 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0100

I love to bike in the fall. Just last weekend, I spent a day in Vermont, and from atop my bike, from one rolling hill to another, I saw real life versions of Sabra Field's prints. Imagine spending a couple days or more biking through Vermont, with overnight stays at lovely inns. Richard First, founder of POMG Bike Tours, shares this experience with guests each fall. His company has received impressive accolades from Men's Journal and Bicycling Magazine.

Richard loves to bike. When he was 14, his father gave him a used rebuilt bike and he's been cranking his pedals ever since. He's biked in the Northeast, Pacific Northwest, California, Europe, and Vermont. He's found some time to fit in other life experience too. Since graduating from college, he's worked for different bike touring companies, and for the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, and he's done development and special events work. As Director of Fundraising and Recruitment for Boston City Year, he helped to raise over $1.4 million and recruit 22,000 participants. Not too shabby. 16 years ago he founded Peace of Mind Guaranteed (POMG) Bike Tours. The company uses an old family slogan. His grandfather originated the POMG slogan for his iconic Hartford, Connecticut, jewelry store founded in 1919. For more information about POMG Bike Tours, visit: www.pomgbike.com

5 Questions for Richard First

Q: Where's your favorite area to ride during the fall foliage season in Vermont?

A: During fall foliage season, which typically lasts four or five weeks in Vermont, my viewing strategy is to ride from north to south so I can see different phases of color change. On our six day "Cycle Vermont" Tour, cyclists ride 300 to 400 plus miles from the Champlain Islands to the Northeast Kingdom to Woodstock and the Mad River Valley, which is a good way to sample the varying phases of foliage in Vermont.

Q: What is the best compliment you ever received about your bike tour?

A: The best compliment is when a customer returns for another tour and thankfully they do often! Here is a sample of one the hundreds of letters we've received over the years from alumni customers:

"As always we had a wonderful time exploring Vermont by bike. The inns were great, the food was outstanding, the innkeepers were very welcoming and a pleasure to visit with. We look forward to coming back again next year. You run a very organized and well supported bike tour - the service and hospitality keep us coming back to explore more of your friendly, beautiful green mountain state."
Larry & Kelli O. - Texas

Q: What is the funniest thing that ever happened on your bike tour?

A: We have fun every day on our tours. It's one of POMG's founding principles: safety, customer service and fun. Just recently I was driving the support van in Burlington on a tour and in a densely populated area. A moose suddenly appeared and ran next to the van and then across the street in front of the van (see picture). The greatest delight for me on tour is watching our guests unwind and rediscover their youthful joy of riding a bike.

Q: What's the average age and fitness level of the people who take a POMG bike tour?

A: The average age range is between 35 and 65 and the fitness level is quite variable from energetic beginner to experienced hard core cyclist. The beauty of POMG Bike Tours of Vermont is that guests always ride at their own pace and choose from several mileage options each day making it the perfect active vacation for a couple, family, or friends of varying abilities.

Q: When you were a little kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?

A: It depended on the season. In winter, I wanted to be a professional hockey player for the Boston Bruins. In the summer I wanted to play for the Red Sox, of course!

First Day of Fall

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0100

The first day of fall is September 22, 2010. However, in New England, as soon as August rolls around, there is no ignoring the fact that the change is near. The air gets a little chillier. Bits of red and yellow start dotting the landscape. It's no longer the dog days of summer. In New England, August is more "August," than it is "summer." Then, when the calendar flips to September, it's fall. But, it really isn't fall yet. It's still technically summer. Yes, August through September 21 is a very ambiguous time. But, next week, it's official. It will be fall.

Some of my favorite fall things are crisp apples, sunny crisp days, the smell of dried leaves or wood stove fires, mulled cider, raking leaves (I can say that because I don't have any leaves to rake) and playing outdoors. That is where this blog, Foliage Adventures, comes in. I am going to share some great ideas for fall outdoor adventures -- biking, hiking, ziplining, kayaking. These are my favorite ways to enjoy fall foliage. So it's less about finding peak foliage and more about experiencing the outdoors during foliage season.

Stay tuned...lots of fall foliage adventures to come.

Going with the Flow

rss@ypi.com (Yankee Publishing Inc.) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 04:00:00 +0100

I thought I wanted to paddle down fierce whitewater rivers. It looked like a huge adrenaline rush. Perhaps, I should have taken I lesson from a professional. I did not. It was not "uncharted water" that changed my destiny to paddle down raging rivers. It was, instead, very charted water--a pool to be exact--that thwarted my dream to whitewater kayak. Since that moment, I've become a happy flatwater kayaker, searching for placid open lakes and slow moving rivers.

The moment occurred during my second attempt at learning how to perform a kayak roll, a necessary skill for those who whitewater kayak. My first attempt was when a friend offered to give me some tips. He had just taken a course to learn the fundamentals and wanted to share his newfound skills with me. He was very attentive and offered good instruction, but he was not a professional. I tried rolling. He kept working with me. I tried rolling again. It was evident that I needed to keep trying. By the end of that session, I got plenty of practice with capsizing the kayak, then wet exiting, but I never did a full kayak roll. A wet exit, in my opinion, is a failed attempt at a kayak roll, where submerged underwater, you pull the rip cord or the grab loop, to remove the spray skirt from the cockpit, then push out of the cockpit, and head for the water's surface.

My next chance to try a kayak roll was in a pool. A group of acquaintances rented a local pool in the early spring to dust off their kayaks and get "stoked" for the upcoming whitewater kayaking season. Once again, I tried my roll. Once again, I was stuck upside down, searching for the rip cord to perform my wet exit. Unfortunately, I had left my rip cord inside my skirt with no way to access it. (The most important rule is to never, ever leave the rip cord inside the spray skirt.) My spotter, noticing that I was stuck, reached under my kayak, searching for the rip cord, in an attempt to help me wet exit. She did not know that I had not prepared properly and that there was no rip cord to pull. So, I doggy paddled--still submerged upside down with my entire torso stuck inside the kayak--to the side of the pool. Somehow I pulled myself out of the water, where I spent the next very long moments gasping for air. I'd never in my life gasped for air like that. Everyone in the pool area stared at me. They had no idea that I was even struggling a few minutes earlier. At that moment, when I was able to breathe normally again, I had absolutely no desire to successfully kayak roll...ever. And, no desire to learn any more whitewater kayak skills.

This pool episode happened years ago, before kayaking became main stream. During the last decade, recreational kayaking has grown in popularity thanks to the plastic kayak which is relatively low cost and easy to maintain. I bought a kayak that cost less than $400. I throw it on my car's roof rack and head off to a nearby lake or a calm river. All I need is a life jacket and my paddle, and off I go.

The best way to learn a new sport, especially one that is challenging, like learning to whitewater kayak, is to take a lesson from a certified professional. Had I done that initially, I might be thinking about my next adventure in whitewater. But, I learned my own lesson, from not taking a lesson: taking the least challenging route, is sometimes just fine. I've had so many amazing paddles over the past five years. And none of them required me to perform the ever elusive (for me) kayak roll. I discovered that my destiny is to go with the flow and paddle flatwater.

After a summer of great paddles, I am now looking forward to some fall foliage kayaking. Hmmm...where should I go?