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Foliage Report - 25 Oct, Mt Tom, Poets Seat & Deerfield Massachusetts https://www.jeff-foliage.com/2020/10/foliage-report-25-oct-mt-tom-poets-seat-deerfield/
Well my foliage friends, the fall foliage season is winding down. Lisa and I drove down to Connecticut, checking out Pomfret, Mansfield, and Windham before deciding that unless we drove to the coast weren't going to see much color.
We did find Sugar Hill Road which we picked up off Old Stafford Rd in Connecticut and we ended up on Route 140. I think an autumn drive along this road should be on your list. But while I'm sure CT still has some decent colors we were coming up empty.
We are a bit worn out so we drove back up into Massachusetts on Route 5 and the colors were only a little better. I've written a few times about past peak fall colors and while they don't really compare to the more popular bright colors, they are quite pretty in their own right.
Mount Tom Reservation
We were driving up Route 5 (a very nice drive) and Lisa suggested we try the Mount Tom reservation so I turned around and started driving up. Yes, I would have missed this spot if she hadn't suggested it (One of the many reasons I love her).
We started at the observation tower with its views of Westhampton MA and then we took the North Rd.
We found that the the North road had several parking spots at lookouts where you can view the town of East Hampton and beyond.
No Fall Colors? Go for the Pumpkins
So even though I saw only a little fall color on the trip so far, I was also looking for other fall images that I could photograph. As we drove into Hatfield MA, we saw several farms with farm stands.
Then we saw a field with pumpkins and at the end of the field was a haunted old gray barn...
Well maybe not haunted, but if I was running things I would fix that, at least around Halloween... :-) We then headed for...
Historic Old Deerfield Massachustts
To start off with Lisa and I are a little leary of going where the crowds are so we didn't go visit the Yankee Candle Factory/Store. We instead headed into the Historic section of Deerfield and parked so we could walk around (and social distance).
Tickets for the homes are timed so we decided to not do that either. So, we just walked and enjoyed the period homes. One of my favorites is a home where they go out of their gourds... Literally!
Most of the homes in Historic Deerfield are either personal homes or museums and we just explored the Maine street and enjoyed the different period buildings.
We also explored the gift shop in Historic Deerfield which is right next to the post office.
Poet's Seat Tower
As we were leaving Greenfield, Lisa spotted a castle or something castle-like but then it was gone before I could see it. So I turned around and drove from Route 5 toward Rocky Mountain Park. There on the top of the cliff was a stone tower. I found a road goes right up to it.
The Poet's Seat Tower sit on a high narrow ridgeline and you can look down on Greenfield on one side and...
On the other side of the Poet's Seat Tower, you will see Turners Falls.
After this discovery, we drove back down to Route 5 and got on our way home again. Another 351 miles traveling in search of the fall colors.
I hope you noticed one thing... Over the past few weeks and as the fall colors became harder to find, Lisa and I found other things to make memories about. Whether we found castles, Churches, Covered Bridges, or just a small little village that we haven't visited before.
We just made sure that our day was interesting even when the colors weren't peak.
The fall colors are quickly flowing over into New York but as I said in my last article, Boston and the cities along the coast or bodies of water will still have the fall colors.
The temps are going to be very chilly this week and Thursday the remnants of hurricane Zeta will pass through and we may even see snow... Snowliage anyone?
Halloween and Fall Color
As Halloween approaches, we have a storm passing through this week but next weekend is Halloween and I see how hard it will be doing as we normally do.
The one thing that won't change is the fall leaves swirling around our feet and we walk along the streets and for those still looking for fall colors... Well, it's mostly gone and we can remember the memories that we made this year or maybe in past years.
Either way, I hope you enjoyed this fall season, I know I did and as I drove the 4,500 miles through New England I hope you enjoyed following along with Lisa and me during our travels.
This thread can be read here: https://www.jeff-foliage.com/2020/10/foliage-report-25-oct-mt-tom-poets-seat-deerfield/
