Month: October 2012

Evergreen, Colorado

The charming main street of Evergreen, Colorado.
I just returned from a family wedding in the charming town of Evergreen, Colorado. The snow-capped Rocky Mountains were breathtaking, even if the temperature did hover around 70 degrees! It’s a lovely place with great restaurants, its own mini-boardwalk lined with charming shops, and picturesque views everywhere you look. Lots of beautiful parks where elk roam freely, too. Would I trade it for Maine? Not for a moment. But it’s a great place to visit and filled with friendly, welcoming people. Surprisingly, a lot of them are young people from New England who have moved West for a while to try out a different part of the country. To a person, those I met mentioned missing the colors of a New England fall and, especially, the sight and sound of the ocean. It will be waiting when they return–once New England is in your blood, you never lose it.

More Leaf Peeping in Maine

The road less traveled is often the most rewarding.
Color is at its peak throughout most of Maine now. I love this photo of a road leading who-knows-where, but with the promise of something wonderful at the other end. It doesn’t matter that there are no houses or businesses or exciting historical sites to be seen — the foliage itself is worth the journey. For more information about visiting Maine and the rest of New England, check out my book, Backroads & Byways of New England: Drives, Day Trips & Weekend Excursions. Special thanks to my husband, photographer Nat Hammond, for these photos and others on this blog.

Leaf Peeping in Maine

Fall colors near Rangeley, Maine

Foliage is at its peak in northern Maine right now, with colors turning ever more glorious along the coast and in the southern part of the state.  I’ve just returned from my last boat trip of the season, a lovely sail from Portland to Bar Harbor and back. The fall colors really popped against the dark evergreens along the shoreline. Add autumn’s slanted light and it’s no wonder that  Maine has long attracted artists, poets, and writers. Here on my Maine island, days are comfortably warm and nights are crisp and cool — it’s a great time to visit anywhere in the state and take in some fall festivals, fairs, and church suppers.