travel

october 2003

Fall is my favorite time of the year-the days are cooler and Mother Nature paints the land with brilliant color. My husband and I plan at least one or more day drives to see the foliage. Beginning mid-September and continuing through early November, the peak color unrolls from the highest mountains of Vermont south to the flatlands that cover much of our country.

This year, we're driving to Branson, Missouri, in mid-October to see the foliage of the Ozarks. The colors there will peak from that weekend through October. Here are five past foliage trips that we particularly enjoyed-hopefully you'll be near to one of them. Connecticut to Massachusetts: If you in the tri-state area of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut, travel on 1-95 or the Merritt Parkway to Route 7 in Norwalk. Drive Route 7 north towards Massachusetts and Vermont. Beware if anyone in the car loves antiques as this is one of New England's best antiquing roads and with lots of stops for shopping, you may not get far. Color will be around every curve of the road. Once you reach Great Barrington, MA, cross over on Route 23 East to Route 8 South. From there you will connect up with either the Merritt Parkway or 1-95 for your return home. Ohio's Covered Bridges: At one point, Ohio had some 2,000 covered bridges, more than any other state. We love the drive in Wayne National Forest in southeastern Ohio. The route is 18 miles from Marietta, Ohio, off US 77, 25 miles from either New Martinsville or Woodsfield. The highlight is the Hune Bridge, a covered bridge still in use. Another point of interest is the black walnut plantation by the Hills Covered Bridge. Another favorite is Oak Creek Canyon near Sedona in northwestern Arizona. Here, instead of looking down into the canyon as you do at the nearby Grand Canyon, the main road runs through the canyon, so you're looking up at the natural wonders. Visit in late October to mid-November for best color-the rock walls, which are generally off-white or pink to red, offer a strong contrast to the blazing oaks and the shimmering aspens. If you're near to San Francisco, venture north to the Avenue of the Giants in Humboldt Redwoods State Park for the tallest trees in the world and blazing color closer to earth. Be sure to take plenty of film or make sure your digital camera card has plenty of space. The fall makes the world famous redwoods even more spectacular. Twice I've had the joy of driving the Blue Ridge Parkway during fall color. Always beautiful anytime of the year, it's splendor heightens when the autumn landscape paints a canvas of reds, yellow, and oranges against the background of evergreens. The first wave of color comes from the dogwoods, maples, hickories, and poplars. Oaks change later in October after the first frost and continue as the beech, birch, ash, and aspen turn. To find our when your particular area will have peak fall color, use search words such as "(your state) fall foliage." As always if you're traveling by car and have diabetes, plan frequent stops to take pictures and stretch your legs. Wear comfortable, loose clothing and proper fitting shoes. Carry your meds/insulin with you as well as carb snacks. Don't leave meds or insulin in a locked car as even in the fall, a car sitting in the sun will heat to temperatures higher than your meds can tolerate. If you do pick up some spectacular leaves, remember our suggestions of several years back. As soon as you get home, spray both sides of the leaves with hair spray. Dry and pack between layers of tissue paper to use for table decorations year after year. Good leaf peeping! FTG