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Celebrating our two-lane highways of yesteryear…And the joys of driving them today!

Fall Foliage Drives


Dave Reese
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Has anyone been able to do any of these yet in their areas?

 

Do you have favorite routes you take for looking at the fall colors?

 

The Lehigh Valley in PA is not ready for these trips yet, but I really loved Alaska's fall colors in early September in Denali and through Talkeetna. Further south in Alaska we saw the colors starting, but not nearly at their peaks. I know I did not drive in Alaska, but most of the roads we toured on, in vans and buses, were two lanes.

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Has anyone been able to do any of these yet in their areas?

 

Do you have favorite routes you take for looking at the fall colors?

 

The Lehigh Valley in PA is not ready for these trips yet, but I really loved Alaska's fall colors in early September in Denali and through Talkeetna. Further south in Alaska we saw the colors starting, but not nearly at their peaks. I know I did not drive in Alaska, but most of the roads we toured on, in vans and buses, were two lanes.

 

Dave,

 

The leaves are definitely turning in the northwest to red and yellow. In fact I saw one place yesterday where the fallen leaves formed a colorful carpet 6 inches deep.

 

One of our favorite fall drives is over the shoulder of Mt Rainier and into Yakima. Last year Mt Rainier was at its peak around the 10th of October. We need a few clear days however to enjoy it, and they are not in the forecast right now.

 

Keep the Show on the Road!

 

Dave

 

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Around here, any run into the Poconos, or to a great little old town like Mauch Chunk (now named Jim Thorpe) is the way to go when the leaves are near or at their peaks. When I was still working on the road, even a trip up 61 to Shamokin could have its own special beauty, but not a favorite road to drive (maybe I did it too often).

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Do you have favorite routes you take for looking at the fall colors?

 

 

(a) STL to Chester, IL on Route 3, cross the Mississippi Bridge and return to STL on U.S. 61

 

(B) Route 100 (river road) north from Alton, IL, cross Illinois River Bridge into Hardin, MO, turn south and take the Golden Eagle ferry into St. Charles, MO

 

© U.S. 100 west from STL to Hermann, MO and then south on 19 to Cuba, MO. Return to STL on 66.

 

(d) Almost any stretch of old 66 in MO during the last two weeks of Oct.

 

(e) U.S. 50 from STL to Jefferson City, MO

 

(f) U.S. 67 from STL south to Sikeston, MO with a return on U.S. 61

 

This is why we're hesitant to leave the STL area in the fall season....Bliss

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We were traveling in Northern Maine two weeks ago- the colors were just starting to turn. Farmers along the two-lanes were selling fresh Maple Syrup (of course we had to buy some). We traveled to Michigan via some two-lanes in Quebec and Ontario - 50% of the trees were already turning. . . spectacular - especially the view from the top of some of the hills (with 13% grade!).

 

 

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A very nice drive, in southern Maine, when the foliage starts to turn, is to drive State Route 109 from Wells, Maine over into NH thru Sanbornville into Wolfeboro and on west into Center Sandwich where, as I recall it ends.

 

Another classic drive is Route 16 from Portsmouth, NH, north to Conway where you have a choice of continuing north on 16 or turning west on the Kancamangus Highway thru the White Mountain National forest over to North Woodstock. (The "K" highway is a drive in itself!!)

 

Actually there are so many great roads for foliage tours up there in Northern New England I could make a book out of it, which has probably already been done.

 

Hudsonly,

Alex Burr

Memphis, TN

Edited by Alex Burr - hester_nec
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It looks like the foliage should be really nice this weekend on the South Mountain of the Lehigh Valley. I will be heading over to Goodman Stadium for the Lehigh football game, and this will probably be the best week for the colors as the team is on the road the next two weeks. I need to take the Triumph out a bit this week then to admire more of the color as it develops. Some of the trees are pretty good here already.

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