It's the journey.......: #2-Magnificent Massachusetts & Colorful Connecticut

Our last time with you was through the awesome colors of New Hampshire and Vermont. We truly caught them at their peak and even though we saw pockets of color in Massachusetts and Connecticut nothing quite so immense and startling showed up again. Our most fun was exploring the quaint villages and vistas along a couple of scenic byways starting with Hwy. 2 from Shelburne Falls westward to Williamstown in the northwest corner of MA. We found Shelburne Falls to be one of those little treasures that are tucked away in America. The entire ambiance was one of sweetness, good energy and fun, funky businesses, sorta like Nevada City. Tiny little storefronts inviting us to step in and explore crystals, art, antiques, glassblowing, banners, kites, three table cafes or hand made clothing. Best of all was the Bridge of Flowers, an old 400 foot trolley bridge that had been turned into a flower garden by the ladies of the town way back in 1928 after the trolley stopped running. It is a grand monument to gardening and eighty years of dedication.

Shelburne Falls was founded as a result of the power supplied by the falls on the Deerfield River. Here the marble bedrock was exposed and ground by the retreating glaciers of 20,000 years ago. The resulting glacial potholes are amazing and the marble was gorgeous! We had so much fun photographing the water and stones.

We left reluctantly and vowed to add Shelburne Falls to our ‘return to’ list. Hwy. 2 is known as the Mohawk Trail Drive because Mohawk Indians had used it for centuries to travel between what is now Massachusetts and NY State. We found fall color as we drove through the Mohawk Trail State Forest on our way to Whitcomb Summit. The view from here takes in Vermont’s Green Mountains to the north, the Berkshires Hills of MA and Mount Greylock, highest point in MA at 3,491 feet.

At Williamstown we turned south and headed down State highway 7 with the intention of visiting several villages in the middle of the Berkshire Hills to take photo memories for our friend Jan. Her family had lived in Stockbridge and she spent some formative years around Lenox and Lee. She asked us to look up her high school in Stockbridge, the Lenox Library and anything else we could find of interest – so we did.

We spent a couple of days in a Beartown State Forest CG on a lovely Lake called Benedict Pond. This time of year many of the campgrounds are in the off season so the facilities are limited but so is the number of people. We can really enjoy the quiet and solitude of nature in some of these places.

We next drove all of about 30 miles (don’t want to overdue, you know!) to Housatonic Meadows State Park on the Housatonic River and the Kent Falls State Park. We hiked the trail to the top of Kent Falls and marveled at the marble and granite ravine and the massive stone stairs constructed by those talented CCC workers.

Ever southward took us directly down Hwy. 7 to our friend Karen Leffler’s home, in Norwalk, CT. Karen makes her living as a photographer and tour guide but took time out to set up an amazing array of trips and adventures like a boat trip up the Hudson River, a day at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, driving into Manhattan through the Holland Tunnel, dinner in Little Italy and a lovely stay at a beautiful B&B in Ridgefield, Conn. If you would like to visit Karen's lovely websites just go to Worth a Thousand Words and Sacred Journeys.

The Bed and Breakfast is known as Green Rocks Inn. It is an eco-friendly B&B that continually strives to minimize its carbon footprint by utilizing a wide array of alternative technologies. It is pet friendly as evidenced by Alice who greets both two and four-leggeds with equal enthusiasm. Proprietors Kim Wanamaker and Barbara Simkins are gracious, caring hosts who obviously enjoy their life, their home and their businesses.