It’s that time of the year where the fall leaves have been shed and the grey and rainy season is upon the PNW, but ski season hasn’t started yet. This means time for me to look back and post a few highlights from the autumn season. My main activity was taking a trip to the Northeast US for a family wedding and also to see the famous New York/New England fall foliage.
On this trip, I went to Upstate New York, and then also Vermont and New Hampshire. I lived in the Albany NY area for 4 years for grad school, but I have not been back to the Northeast since 2017. The main reason for heading back to the Capital Region is to attend a family wedding. It was great seeing my relatives, and also people I know from the area that I haven’t seen in years. And of course, congratulations to the bride and groom, and wish them a happily ever after.
The first stop of my fall foliage trip was actually before the wedding, when I was heading up from NYC (where I flew into) up to Albany. On the way, I stopped by Mohonk Mountain House which is a famous mountain resort in the Catskills. The fall foliage wasn’t peak in that area when I was there, but the mountain house and surrounding grounds are still very pretty. The fee they charge for hikers is a bit steep, so probably won’t be doing it again.
After the wedding festivities, I headed out on the rest of my fall foliage trip. First stop was driving north to Lake Placid, which I haven’t visited when I lived in upstate. The northern parts of New York and New England were hitting peak foliage so the road into Lake Placid was very pretty. Mountain after mountain of orange, yellow and red.
The foliage wasn’t as good in Lake Placid itself. The lakes and surrounding area is nice, but feels like the foliage has turned as much. It also started to rain and snow, and the inclement weather would continue until the last day of my trip. The town itself has one main street was fairly busy despite the weather.
From Lake Placid, I drove east through Vermont into New Hampshire. I didn’t stop too much in Vermont as I’ve taken a fall foliage trip in the state before, but I have never explored New Hampshire. In NH, I went to the Flume Gorge, which is a narrow gorge with flowing streams and waterfalls. It was pretty, and reminded me of some of the NY state parks in the Finger Lakes.
After the Flume Gorge, I did the short hike up to Artist’s Bluff in Franconia Notch State Park. It’s one of the most popular fall hikes in the area, because it’s a short hike for great foliage views. When I went, it was rainy, snowy, and muddy, and there was still a decent number of people on the trail, some of them wearing skirts. Despite the short length, the hike has some steep sections, so its not an easy hike. Because of the weather, there was a little bit of mist up top, but even then the fall foliage was absolutely brilliant.
From there, I found way to the Kancamagus Highway, which is a popular scenic drive during fall foliage season. I drove the entire length of the highway, and stopped by every viewpoint. The colors on the hills were just gorgeous, and there’s miles upon miles of vibrant colors. Autumn is definitely the best time to visit the Northeast.
On my return leg back to Albany, I made a few short stops. I checked off another state capital/capitol off the list by stopping at the State House in Concord, NH. Then I drove back through southern Vermont, and stopped by the Benington Battle Monument which I’ve visited a few times.
Lastly, a stop for a stroll at my alma mater, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. It’s been a decade since I’ve set foot on the RPI campus, and it looks pretty much the same as 10 years ago. No new major buildings and renovations I could see, but autumn is a nice time to be there.
Overall, it was nice visiting the Northeast again after several years away. The weather could have been a little better. There are some nice spots for fall colors in the PNW, but it’s not like the Northeast where you get mountains after mountains of colorful leaves. There’re still a few spots that I didn’t go to this time, and didn’t have the time to go to NYC. Save some for next time.
Other than the Northeast trip, I didn’t do too much else recreationally in this autumn. I was in the process of looking for a new job, so I spent a lot of time preparing and attending interviews. Tech interviews are tough and very different from day to day work, so studying is required at least for me. At the time of this post, I signed an offer for a new job, and I’m excited to move on to the next chapter of my professional life. As for my previous job, it was good experience and I learned a few lessons, and it was time to move on. As we are getting close to US Thanksgiving, I’m thankful to be able to find a job, and I hope everything goes smoothly with my new position. Thanks for reading.