I agree with Michael who, despite being from Oz, has said it better than
I could have. The Leaf Peeper website he pointed out
<http://www.foliagenetwork.com/reports/northeast_us/>
is an excellent resource to tell you what it's like today. In the map
shown there I'm in the little tan, horizontal oval straddling the New
York/Pennsylvania border. I agree with the observation of "moderate
color". As I look out the window I see a few trees which have changed
color completely, many more that are showing color in 1/4 to 1/2 of
their foliage and many more than that which still show no change at all
or only a smidgen of color here and there. The prediction for this area
(which is ahead of most other areas in New York because of our
elevation) is peak color in mid-October. Once it gets started it moves
pretty fast.
Here is another map from one of the local TV stations which also shows a
forecast for peak color through the Northeast. Click on the fall
foliage "seasonal" map, third one down on the left of this page
<http://www.wbng.com/weather> I don't know when this was done or how
accurate it is with respect to actual timing but it will probably at
least show you where you should plan to be (or not to be) at various times.
I haven't driven through Vermont in many years but it's all pretty
heavily forested and just about any road should put on a good show.
I-90 crossing Massachusetts from Boston to Albany is heavily forested
once you get about 50 miles outside of Boston. However, I-90 crossing
from Albany to Buffalo runs largely through farm land closer to the look
of GeeBee's territory except with larger stands of trees in some areas.
The roads running north and south in New York offer better leaf
peeping. You'll find the Adirondack area up I-87 (the Northway) north
of Albany and south of Albany, I-87 will be skirting the edge of the
Catskill Mountains (my old stomping grounds in Woodstock). But apart
from driving through the Catskill region itself (Route 28) it's probably
a prettier drive to be on the east side of the Hudson and go down the
Taconic Parkway towards White Plains rather than go south on I-87. Also
lots of tourist stuff to see in the Hudson valley from south of Albany.
Route 17 (transitioning to I-86) intersects I-87 south of Newburgh and
heads north and west toward my area (Binghamton) then over to Corning
(the glass works) and then hooks up with I-390 going to Rochester. All
of that length of road offers excellent leaf peeping. Lesser roads
running north from the area between Binghamton and Corning also lead up
to the Finger Lakes region with lots of state parks, wineries,
waterfalls, etc. Also, I-88 running between Binghamton and Albany
offers spectacular views of forest and farmland down in the river valley
at any time of year. You'll find the Baseball Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown (about 20 miles north of I-88) at the south end of Otsego
Lake. If you've ever read James Fennimore Cooper's tales of Natty
Bumppo (Last of the Mohicans, etc) you'll recognize Otsego Lake as the
headwaters of the Susquehanna river and the setting for many of Natty's
adventures.
I could keep going but I'll give others a chance to plug their favorites.
Chuck Norcutt
Michael Cosby wrote:
> Tom, My wife and I are currently on holiday from Sydney Australia,
> visiting my sister in Saratoga NY. Yesterday we returned from a trip
> from Saratoga through southern Vermont to Maine at Kennybunkport, up
> the coast to Barr Harbour and Acadia then up and back through Bangor
> accross Maine & north New Hampshire to Montpelier in Vermont, then
> back down the Hudson valley to Saratoga.
>
> While we really enjoyed Acadia, I think it deserves at least two or
> three days on its own - including the rest of Desert Island. If ten
> days is all you have, and you dont want to spend it all on the road
> driving, I suggest you leave out Maine and New Hampshire for another
> holiday. Head for Montpelier, which is a very picturesque city, and
> then zig zag back south including the Adirondacs & Hudson Valley as
> well as southern Vermont. The fall colours were very strong here,
> probably because of the poor soil. In a couple of weeks the 'Leaf
> Peepers' will be up here in the Adirondacs, from New York city, in
> thier coaches and Winnibagos, but in Vermont the colour is already
> here. You should also check out the 'Leaf Peeper' website, which is
> at http://www.foliagenetwork.com/default.php
>
> Cheers, Michael Cosby ---- Tom Scales <tom@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
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