Adventures for Anyone: October 2016

I can only describe the beautiful foliage in my neck of the woods so much. As fall comes to a close is Connecticut, I find myself celebrating over 150,000 views of this blog. I also find myself in the middle of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and being diagnosed with breast cancer. If you are one of my regular readers, know that I will write when I can. I have to have some things done, and I will be excited when I can get back to my blog.

In the meantime, I thought I would post some of my best foliage shots from this amazing fall that was actually enhanced by a drought. Life is strange. No water, but great foliage and warm, sunny weather. The above pictures are from Apple Hill Trail at White Memorial in Litchfield, Connecticut. This is a non state funded land trust with dozens of trails, lakes and ponds, a museum and nature center. Programs for the kids and conservation happen there as well. White Memorial has some really great trails, but Apple Hill is my favorite. You can stop in at the main park and get trail maps pretty much any time of the year. Fall is my favorite though.

We went to Bethlehem's Garlic Festival and Riverton's Country Fair this year. Bethlehem is one of Connecticut's tiny towns where there are a lot of festivals, a great flea market, and huge lines of people mailing their Christmas Cards in December. There is nothing but cute in this little berg and a bunch of friendly people to make your visit great. Their country fair takes place the weekend after Labor Day and the Garlic Festival takes place every Columbus Day Weekend. They are two of my favorite local events.

Riverton is a historic town, and if you've ever heard of Hitchcock Furniture; that's where it comes from. Riverton holds it's country fair every Columbus Day Weekend, and it is one of the smallest fairs in the state. It's still a great time, and the town adds craft fairs and community theater as part of the attraction. If you've ever wanted to take the weekend, stay in a historic inn, eat some great food and homemade ice cream, go to a fair, shop a craft fair and just relax; you need to spend Columbus Day in Riverton, Connecticut. The foliage on Columbus Day is very dramatic as well.

Another jaunt that I took was to Meriden and Hubbard Park and Castle Craig. I've mentioned this place before, but in mid October they put on a carnival and food truck festival in Hubbard Park to celebrate fall, and the cliffs above around Castle Craig are some of the most beautiful spots in the whole state. I love to look at the foliage from up there. Can you blame me? The park is also one of the most beautiful city parks in the state, and Meriden is a friendly community with a lot of theater, food and their mall is mostly a discount place. That's great because I can afford to shop there. In the winter, come and see the amazing drive through Christmas Light display in Hubbard Park as well.

It's Collinsville, Connecticut. This is my favorite little hidey hole in the whole world I think. I love to got to Collinsville to rent a canoe and take it on the river, see some theater, shop for antiques, walk along the amazing river walk, take pictures, and eat at Lasalle's. This is the quintessential small town full of quiet people and hipsters. The scenery is some of the best around, and in the fall it is simply off the charts. It's close to Canton and Avon where there is plenty of shopping and restaurants as well. It's one of my favorite places to take pictures.

Haystack Mountain is one of the prettier state parks in Connecticut and sits in Norfolk. There are several state parks in and around that town, which I discussed earlier this summer. Check the blog entry about Norfolk to read more. I finally got a chance to hike to the top of this amazing mountain, and found a great tower built in 1929 to celebrate Connecticut's lands above 1,000 feet in elevation. The tower has stairs up the inside that go to an amazing observation area and the views of the surrounding areas is fabulous. I always wondered where the aerial views of Norfolk came from. I think they just come from that tower.

So, the area that I live in is one of the most beautiful places on Earth. Especially in the fall. I hope you get a chance to enjoy it some time like I do. I will leave you with some shots that I also took in Mass this fall around the Bridge of Flowers in Shelbourne Falls. I hope to be back soon. Wish me luck!