Leaf Peeping in New England (5)
[Leaf peeping is an informal term in the United States and Canada for the activity in which people travel to view and photograph the fall foliage in areas where leaves change colours in autumn, particularly in northern New England]
When I was teaching it meant holidays could only be taken during the school holidays when it was more expensive and busy. And I couldn’t tag on to the OH’s conferences either. Which is why during one October half term we decided to do a fly drive holiday to the eastern side of the USA and do a spot of leaf peeping.
On our final day in the White Mountains the weather was decidedly against us, so we headed north on another circular loop taking us through Jefferson to visit Stark, a very small and quiet place, where we would find another of the wonderful covered bridges that I was becoming quite obsessed with.
It’s not just Stark itself that makes the trip worth it, it’s all of the towns, scenic stops, bridges and bodies of water you come across on the drive through the New Hampshire mountains.
After Stark we continued to Berlin and Errol over to the Umbagog Lake, hoping to find some colourful reflections.
After a brief stop we continued along the ME-26 into Maine and the Grafton Notch State Park, stopping off at Mother Walker Falls to stretch our legs.
Despite the weather it was an enjoyable day out. The roads around this area are well maintained and the views stunning. One last stop was in a rainy Jackson for, yes, you guessed it, another covered bridge.
Our last evening we drove down the road to a diner where I had nachos. I swear the plate I got could have fed a family of four, despite my best intentions the pile never seemed to go down! We had a fabulous stay in the White Mountains, but now it was time to head back to Boston and on to Cape Cod for the final part of this trip.
TRAVEL WORDS 