It turns out to be a very good idea to head west from Boston along the Mohawk Trail as we meet a couple on holiday from Florida who advise us that the leaves further north are coming to an end and that they have come South from Vermont to see the last of the season.
The Mohawk Trail is a lovely scenic drive through Massachusetts and we’re rapt to discover it gives us even more fall colour to enjoy. We manage to find a campground that is still open, nestled right on a river and under those gorgeous trees, near the small town of Shelburne Falls. We are lucky to stay as they are only days away from closing for the season. It is a lovely evening despite the fact that it has rained all day so we have no problems camping in Jetson.
We spend the following day exploring the town of Shelburne Falls and its many features. It’s a cute little town that has been the set for a couple of films, The Judge released recently and Labour Day starring Kate Winslet. The falls in the middle of town and glacial potholes are great, though the falls look man made. We are lucky the Deerfield River is quite low at this point to really appreciate the ancient potholes and we imagine how much water would flow through when the snow on the surrounding mountains is melting.
There are two bridges side by side right in the middle of town. The first is an 1890 Truss Bridge that is a very interesting metal structure. The second only meters away is the Bridge of Flowers, an old trolley bridge converted into a Botanical Garden and maintained enthusiastic locals. It is just glorious at this time of year with so much colour and the flowers blooming and yet again the perfect day lets us see it is all its glory.
We explore the town and its many art and craft galleries and move on to fit in some lovely walks nearby, including the Natural Bridge State Park, named so because it contains the only natural white marble arch/bridge in the USA and is accompanied by the old marble quarry. The bridge is believed to have been carved 13,000 years ago by the glacial melt water from 550 million years old bedrock marble. just awesome.
Every move we make provides a different view of the trees. As I said it is impossible to describe the colors, from purple and rust to orange and flaming red to yellow and gold and deep browns. That doesn’t sound like much but to see it with your own eyes is out of this world. Since we left Perth we have been treated to all the different seasons, seeing leaves falling in England, the bare trees of winter then sprouting in Spring in Europe and so glorious through Summer and now the Fall in USA. Australia is so different where the only color change of trees is with the odd specimen trees, beautiful but nothing like the world of deciduous trees that the Northern Hemisphere has to offer. It is probably the most distinctive difference and one that we have loved so much.
We have managed to time our trip perfectly to the New England area, the most famous fall destination. Hardly a minute goes by that we don’t exclaim how spectacular these trees are and how many wonderful views of changing color we have experienced, hopefully we’ll have photos up very soon!
Here We Come World 