John writes…Every fall, or
autumn as would say, people from all over the world come to witness one of
nature’s great spectacles – the autumn foliage change. One of the
most revered rituals of New England is
“leaf-peeping” – driving to see the green leaves of summer
turn to vivid shades of glowing orange, brilliant yellow, fiery red and rich
brown. Brightest of all are red swamp maple, and sumac. Aspen and birch turn yellow, sugar maples a
peachy orange. Each species of tree and
shrub has its own unique hues which can vary from year to year.
The
brilliance of this spectacle is attributed to mild autumn days coupled with
cool, crisp, but not freezing evenings, and a dry continental climate.
But
“leaf-peeping” is an odd term…because once the foliage change
begins, the colours are right in front of you…full on…over tens of
thousands of square miles!
We
were worried that the hot dry summer would delay the change, and we only had
the window from 23-26th September. We hired a car and headed to the
hills of Vermont and New Hampshire. Picture postcard New England towns and farms were breathtaking, and the
colour change was as good as it gets. Staying in small B&Bs or country inns
we met a fascinating cross section of people. Perhaps not surprisingly we found
a number of inns were run by Brits who had fallen for this stunning area. Also
to our surprise, many of the barns contained historic cars – often Model
T Fords of different types.
And
when the leaves start to fall…it is just like the first snowflakes of
winter. And talking of which, when the snow does come (usually in November) the
ground will be white for the next 4-5 months, and cross-country skiing and
skidoo-ing become the norm in these parts.
Now
we are back in New York, in torrential rain
and strong winds, waiting for a weather window to head down to the Chesapeake and Annapolis
for the US
sailboat show. Work beckons!
