SWMBO and myself have not had our summer hols yet, and were thinking about a week 'leaf peeping' in a softop late Sept/Oct this year. Have any BR's taken such a holiday, and if so, any recommendations as to how best use the week?
Presumably we would fly into Boston and mimse thru Massachusetts, Vermont & New Hampshire. It would be an interesting experience (mimsing, that is)
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I've not done the area north of Boston, but the city itself is very pleasant. I was there for a week a couple of months ago, and it is a nice place to spend a couple of days.
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Wife & I did Boston and the White Mountains/Green Mountains with a bunch of friends in 2001. We did it in summer and stayed in the very quiet ski lodges and had the pick of the rooms and pools, gymns and spas. We hired a Chevy Astro van which was fun. Boston's a great city and has an easy to use rail system too.
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I am bit busy at the moment, re trying to do other stuff, but if you are interested in the Autumnal Tints there is a hotline one can ring to find out where the colours are best, on a day to day basis. I will post it if I can find it
Got it
gonewengland.about.com/cs/fallfoliage/l/blfoliagec...m
Edited by Armitage Shanks {p} on 15/09/2009 at 15:00
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We went to that part of the states at the right sort of time.
Obviously the optimum dates are not fixed for when it is best to see the full effect.
We went from Washington up to Boston and it was interesting to see how the the intensity of colour increased along the route.
Certainly IMO be flexible and be prepared to travel chasing the colours.
A cheaper option:-)
gonewengland.about.com/cs/fallfoliage/a/aacyberlea...m
adventure.howstuffworks.com/leaf-peeping-locales.h...m
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Many thanks for all your replies.
To be honest, the leaf peeping is a bit of an aside....the main reason is getting behind the wheel of a nice V8, preferably in Mustang form.
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I went to Boston & Cape Cod on honeymoon in October '99. I wanted to rent a convertible but was told it was the wrong time of year, none available. However, this was by a friend of mine who worked for Enterprise at the time and was managing to wangle a free week's rental for me in lieu of a wedding present.
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Wife and I did this tour back in October '88 and had a fantastic time, it was officially just a few days after the "colors" which meant the hotel prices were cheaper and we avoided the hordes of US pensioners that tour the region at peak time.
The Michelin green guide had some good touring routes which we used as starting point. We saw a remarkable range of weather, from warm autumn days on the coast (Camden, Maine), to snow (Stowe, Vermont).
Have a great trip.
MPOZ
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There's also the Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream factory in Waterbury, VT. It's the nearest thing to Willy Wonka's - lots of ample sized people pushing around big tubs of caramel bits nad nuts...it's hilarious. Assume it is still there - good shop too.
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We have recently returned from a fantastic motoring holiday around New England. I can thoroughly recommend the quiet roads, wonderful scenery and great hospitality.
Hertz were our hirer of choice because their rental fleet is primarily Ford, and wanting a convertible for 7 days, hoped that we would get a Mustang. The Boston office did us proud, providing a shiny black, with grey leather, almost brand new vehicle, albeit with the 4.0 V6 rather than the hoped for V8!
After 2 nights in Boston, using Priceline's 'name your own price' facility to get a great hotel deal, we collected the car and spent 4 days driving up the coast to Acadia NP on Mount Desert Island, Maine. We then headed inland following scenic routes, almost to the Canadian border, visiting the White Mtns region, and briefly into Vermont, before using the Interstate to return to Boston. The guidebooks we used were the Rough Guide to NE, The Rough guide (motoring) Map of NE, and The AA Best Drives NE, 23 car tours for the independent traveller. All worth their weight in gold.
We experienced everything from glorious sun, to freezing overnight temps when I had to scrape the ice off in the morning and wait an hour before lowering the roof. The final two hours into Boston were in a sleet & snowstorm, although the following day dawned clear & sunny.
The Mustang returned 25mpg, mostly gentle touring, although on the Interstates I cruised around 70/80 mph. The auto box makes for relaxed driving, and the rear seats are useless for anything but small children.The build quality is ok, but nothing special, with shiny silver effect plastic on the steering wheel masquerading as metal. Given the overall dimensions...larger I think than my fiances Passat, the boot space is appalling. But would I have one again...you bet.Top end models get heated seats, so every day we froze our butts off. A small price to pay for having the roof down.
The majority of motorists were unfailingly courteous, even in the city, and the few hours we spent on the 8 lane Interstates were a world apart from our busy motorway network. Our only 'near miss' was when an elderly colonial pulled out directly in front of us from a parked position....I gave him a long blast and his retort was 'didn't you see my blinker'! Speaking to the locals, it seems that some elderly drivers are under the misapprehension that by indicating to pull out from parked, passing traffic has to stop, which I almost didn't! You are warned.
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