By Gary Salmon
When you are 75 and have seen fall from the same house in the heart of foliage country for 50 years, it can become a little jaded. “Seen it all before” was unfortunately my mantra and same colors/same views was my viewpoint. What I needed was a fresh set of eyes to view our fall spectacle with and it did not include a cornea transplant. It did involve a visit from two California relatives who have lived a life in recent years of empty reservoirs, brown/black forests and who had never seen a fall foliage season in New England. They picked a good one and lived every moment between Oct. 8-16 doing the “leaf peeper” thing to the hilt. We tagged along as best we could, provided a little direction, and enjoyed a California view of a Vermont fall.
Old standbys like covered bridges are also especially attractive in the fall.
The leaves, of course, were the feature attraction. Miles of roadside trees, mountainside trees, trees next to water bodies, yard trees, town green trees, and others were all “oohed” and “ahed” about as these first-timers enjoyed the spectacle. New to them were the oranges and reds provided by the maples set off of course by the base layer of birches, aspens, and multiple other species with yellow leaves. Their enthusiasm for leaf color was of course contagious and soon had us looking at the beauty of a Vermont fall as it deserved to be seen.
Adding to the fall flavor were of course all the seasonal events. Our fall began with the Mt. Holly Cider Days and ended with a corn maze in Pittsford. What better way to get exposed to cider than to watch it come dripping out of a 100-year-old cider press and then drink it fresh. Orchard visits were also included and if the orchard is large enough there is a variety of apple being grown for anyone’s taste. Fifty varieties from Ambrosia to Zestar hung ready to be picked. Roadside stands for cider and cider donuts also added to the charm for our visitors.
Old standbys like covered bridges are also especially attractive in the fall. Amongst the 16 we “bagged” beyond those in the Woodstock/Quechee area, were three unique ones. A must-see is the Cornish-Windsor Bridge across the Connecticut River in Windsor. At nearly 460 feet, it is the longest wooden covered bridge in the U.S. and longest two-span covered bridge in the world. While not as long but of equal historical interest is the East Shoreham Railroad covered bridge. Built across the Lemon Fair River in 1897 by the Rutland Railroad Company, it is one of two railroad covered bridges remaining in Vermont. The bridge was built as a covered bridge because it was cheaper than building one of similar size of iron on a rail line that saw very light traffic. The last one is one half of the Nicolas Powers twin bridges which crossedEast Creek in East Pittsford. One was destroyed when the East Pittsford Dam broke in 1947. The other was salvaged and is still recognizable as a covered bridge even though it is being used as a town garage just up the road and within sight of where Powers built it in 1850.
As we move into November, I saw a Donald Miller note card recently that read “all the trees are losing their leaves and not one of them cares.” They are going dormant and we remain to enjoy the browns, greys, and whites of a new season. However the memory of a spectacular fall will remain with us, enhanced by the passionate enjoyment shared by two friends from away who saw fall scenery through fresh eyes and did give us a new perspective for next fall.
