Far fewer bugs, air that’s crisp and spectacular colors make this a great time to answer the call of the open road.

Working off that quote (above) from G.K. Chesterton, we do often overlook the amazing discoveries to be made within a few hours from home. As it is that time of year when the leaves go through their annual transformation from lush and green to…well…mulch, we’ll stay with that as the theme of this issue.

As mentioned last time, “peak” is purely subjective. Some of the best times can be had after the hordes of leaf-peepers have had their last peep. In keeping with our theme, I asked one of our digital assistants to check with the forestry, parks, and tourism folks in all of the lower 48 states and generate a map of the current foliage conditions nationwide. This map is the result of that search, and it explains why many explorers travel east when the foliage changes.

In a nutshell: The Rocky Mountain West is largely past peak — Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, New Mexico's high country, and Nevada's mountain aspens have turned and dropped, with only valley cottonwoods and lowland spots still coloring. Northern New England and the Upper Midwest are also mostly past peak: northern Maine, northern Vermont, New Hampshire's North Woods, northern Minnesota, Wisconsin's Northwoods, Michigan's Upper Peninsula, and the Dakotas, where leaf drop is moderate to high.

Peak color right now is centered on the Lower Great Lakes and central Midwest, southern New England, the Mid-Atlantic, and the high Southern Appalachians. The South is largely waiting — the Deep South, Texas, Arkansas and Kentucky are at no change to patchy — while the Pacific Northwest and California's valleys build toward peak in late October into November, and the desert Southwest's canyons approach peak in the second half of October.

The show is in full swing along this 700-mile ribbon of mountains. You can drive most of it in a week or take a single stretch for a long weekend. The Catskills are among the first places the color shows up after the Adirondacks. Take your time on the back roads. Route 28 through the heart of the mountains is a good place to start, with small towns and pull-offs at nearly every bend. Typically, the Catskills peak in early to mid-October, so you may catch the tail end of it right now. On the southwestern side of the state, along the Pennsylvania line, is Allegany State Park. It's quieter than the Catskills, and color there tends to peak in early to mid-October. It's a good option if you'd rather see the leaves without the weekend crowds.

Jim Thorpe has a fascinating history surviving numerous ups and downs since its founding as Mauch Chunk in 1818. In 2024, I spent a few days bicycling the D&L trail with The Inn at Jim Thorpe as home base (more on that in a future issue). This picturesque village sits in a steep river valley and the hillsides are ablaze this time of year. The storefronts are an eclectic reminder of a time when millionaires (big money back then) lived right on the main street. It’s very walkable but not extremely parkable, especially during the busy times of the year. There are quite a few shops, several nice restaurants and even a winery right in the downtown area.

A great way to see the color is from the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway. Its "Autumn Leaf" season runs through November 15, with 45-minute rides into Lehigh Gorge State Park. Same-day tickets are sold in person at the ticket window, and trains before 4 p.m. can be booked online ahead of time. Other sites to visit in the area are: No. 9 and The Old Jail Museum. For lodging, consider The Inn At Jim Thorpe. It’s a nicely restored older hotel right in the center of town that still has it’s original charm.

A drive through the Poconos will take you by lakes, rivers and waterfalls. The Lehigh Valley is a gentler landscape of farms and orchards. To the west, the foliage in Pennsylvania’s Amish country is just beginning to turn. According to a current report from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Lancaster County is rated Just Starting. Foresters for the southeast region say color is advancing, with red maple, black gum, and birch showing the most so far. Lancaster's oaks and hickories hold their green longer than most, so the county trails northern PA by weeks — the best color there is still ahead, likely peaking late next week. The good news is you still have two weekends open. Along with the Smorgasbords and Amish markets, you may want to check out:

•  Strasburg Rail Road steam excursion out of Ronks — 45 minutes through working Amish farm country. Go early on October weekends; the lot fills up.

•  Covered-bridge backroads loop along the PA 372/272 corridor and Conestoga Ridge Road — the classic Amish-country drive.

•  Pinnacle Overlook for Susquehanna River views — the photo stop.

•  Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area for a walk under big-maple canopy.

Head into the mountains around Frederick and Catoctin Mountain Park, there are views with lots of color without walking for miles. Winchester, Virginia is one of our favorite stops and a worthy place to spend the night. It's the gateway to the Shenandoah Valley, with a walkable historic downtown, good restaurants and lodging nearby.

From Winchester it's on to Shenandoah National Park. The Skyline Drive is 105 miles with about 75 overlooks, and one of the great fall drives in the country. The speed limit is slow, so settle in and stop often. Peak color in Shenandoah is usually late October, with the higher elevations changing first. Route 11 between Strasburg and Edinburg is a quiet alternative through the valley, with farm views and small-town stops.

Cross the state line and you’ll find some of the best driving roads in the East. Highland Scenic Highway is a 43-mile byway through Monongahela National Forest. It climbs from about 2,300 feet to over 4,500 feet, with four scenic overlooks. There's no food or gas along the route, so fill up beforehand, and the road isn't maintained in winter. Harpers Ferry is a good stop where Virginia, Maryland and West Virginia come together, combining history with river-gorge color.

The Blue Ridge Parkway is the star, a National Parkway that winds through the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina and Virginia. At elevations of roughly 3,500 to 4,500 feet, you’ll find the best color first. Valleys and lower elevations follow into early November. For example, one Virginia Blue Ridge guide lists October 24 to November 7 as the prime window around Roanoke. Book lodging early. October is the busiest month along the Parkway, and rooms fill fast. Good stops in the high country include Linville Falls, Grandfather Mountain, Blowing Rock, Asheville and (For fans of the Andy Griffith Show) Mount Airy and Pilot Mountain. There are also some nice wineries in the area, so it’s not all about leaves.

NOTE: Check the Parkway before you go. Hurricane Helene damaged parts of the Parkway in western North Carolina, and repairs are still underway. Recent reports say that the road is now open continuously from Virginia to Little Switzerland, but about 11 miles remain closed, with full reopening targeted for the end of this year. Some campgrounds, including Linville Falls, and some trails are also still closed. Check the National Park Service road status page or the Parkway app the day you travel, and have a back-road plan in case something is closed.

WhatsApp lets you send messages, photos and voice notes and make voice or video calls to anyone else who has the app, using Wi-Fi or data instead of regular texts and phone calls. To learn how to set it up and use it, GO TO STILLGOTTHEITCH.com

Ever since we visited Scotland this past June, I’ve been fascinated by The Faroe Islands, and being that the Internet knows what we are thinking at all times, I now get daily updates on the Faroes. The Faroe Islands are a small group of islands located in the Gulf Stream of the North Atlantic, almost equi-distant from Iceland, Scotland and Norway. It is a cluster of 18 volcanic islands separated by narrow sounds and fjords. The total land area is 540 square miles, the population is around 56,000. It’s on the chilly side, with temperatures topping out in the mid-50s in Summer. Like Scotland, the weather is constantly changing and unpredictable.

Liz Carlson posts on The Young Adventuress, “Even after spending some time there, I can safely say that the Faroes remain an enigma. It’s a complex, interesting place full of nuances that are hard to understand as a casual visitor. Maybe this bit of mystery makes it more compelling. Forever a curious person, I was very excited to visit the Faroe Islands.”

For more information on The Faroe Islands, visit https://visitfaroeislands.com/en and if you have been there, let us know. We’d love to share your experience.

To everything there is a season.
For many, the season to travel is later in life, when time is more flexible and the passion to explore is greatest. While there are hundreds of podcasts and newsletters that focus on travelling, we’re hoping “Still Got The Itch", strikes a chord with those of you who have been dreaming of going somewhere special, but have let life put it off. If you like what we’re doing, please hit subscribe. It doesn’t cost anything. If you have a story to share, we would love to hear it - email [email protected].

Happy Trails
Bob and Barb