Rounding out our October fall foliage double-header after a two-night stay in central Vermont, Jane and I take another weekend driving tour of Western Massachusetts, this time accompanied by my mom (visiting from California). After a rainy, lush summer, the colors have been slower to turn here in Massachusetts, especially following a long, drawn-out Indian summer in the early part of the month. The kind weather is a boon for us fragile California kids, so used are we to turning directly from air conditioning to heating. This year, we’ve removed the window AC and kept the windows open all month, welcoming the cool, comfortable night breeze. Autumn has been slow to reach us on the coast. We drive inland on Route 2, seeking some measure of color here in our home state.
After an hour and a half’s drive westward, we leave the highway and reach our first destination - the Bear’s Den Nature Reserve in New Salem. We’re the only ones exploring this lovely gem of an area this morning; a burbling creek runs eastward through a beautiful forest glen, passing through a jumble of moss-covered granites and quartzites. Jane clambers over the slippery, leaf-covered rocks as we make our way upriver, stopping to photograph the small falls at the head of the glen. It is an extraordinarily beautiful, peaceful scene.
A new minutes south, we return the village of New Salem, which we last visited in late December. Just as last time, we park beside the town’s little library and walk the path behind its fire station to an overlook of the Quabbin Reservoir’s northern reaches. The view here is tough; the path descends as you approach the viewpoint, such that the distant reservoir and its islands are largely obsured by the treeline. Today, however, we are treated to a lovely rainbow of maples at the overlook. I take some far shots as well as intimate woodland close-ups before we move on.
Rejoining Rt. 2 and continuing west, we stop to photograph the Connecticut River at French King Bridge and at the Bridge of Flowers in Shelburne Falls. In town, we eat lunch and browse the shops briefly; we come upon Boswell’s Books, a tuxedo-cat-owned bookstore, a waving flag at its door proudly displaying the image of its namesake. A shop after my very own heart. Further west, we enter the Berkshires, following the historic Mohawk Trail as it winds through tree-lined gorges and mountain passes, following the course of the Cold River. We make photo stops at the Whitcomb Summit Retreat, and at the hairpin turn just before the highway descends into North Adams. The light is largely flat and cloud-covered, but the airy views into the Hoosic River valley are phenomenal.
For our last stop of the day, we make our way through North Adams and up Notch Road to the summit of Mount Greylock, the state’s tallest peak. From the top, we can see tremendous sights in all directions: the Taconic Ridge in New York State, the southern reaches of Vermont’s Green Mountains, and the Pioneer Valley to the east, across an undulating landscape of valleys and mountain massifs. To the southwest, a storm is blowing in; the summit is both blustery and crowded, so we don’t stay long. We check into our motel in the valley, and after enjoying a nice dinner and getting caught in a furious downpour at Bounti-Fare Restaurant, we retire for the night.
The next morning brings clearing clouds and bright, sunny skies. We leave our motel early, driving through a quiet Adams and heading back eastward on Rt. 116, which cuts through the heart of the rolling hills and hill-towns of the Berkshires. The sun shines constantly on my eyes on the drive; I’m relieved when we pull off the highway at the D.A.R. State Forest. We first ascend, via a muddy, bumpy dirt road, to the park’s hilltop fire tower. The watchtower is locked for the season, but we get gorgeous 360-degree views after climbing to the top of the stairs. Back down the hill, we pause briefly at the campground to walk along the nearby reservoir, before driving a short distance away to the Old Creamery Co-op in Cummington, where we enjoy a delicious breakfast of juice, fresh coffee, and bagel sandwiches.
Our second stop of the day is the William Cullen Bryant estate (now a Trustees reservation), just a few minutes away from the co-op. Here, we briefly look at the old barn and homestead before moving our car to the Rivulet trailhead, near a five-way intersection of country roads. The trail meanders for about a mile-and-a-half, following a musical little stream through old-growth forest, a magical place filled with ancient hemlocks, magnificent pines and birches, and some of the tallest ash and cherry trees in the region. I will let the first verse of Bryant’s famous poem about his childhood woodland - and the images below - speak for themselves.
This little rill that, from the springs
Of yonder grove, its current brings,
Plays on the slope a while, and then
Goes prattling into groves again,
Oft to its warbling waters drew
My little feet, when life was new.
When woods in early green were dressed,
And from the chambers of the west
The warmer breezes, travelling out,
Breathed the new scent of flowers about,
My truant steps from home would stray,
Upon its grassy side to play,
List the brown thrasher's vernal hymn,
And crop the violet on its brim,
With blooming cheek and open brow,
As young and gay, sweet rill, as thou.
- William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)
”The Rivulet”
After departing the Bryant estate, we briefly visit the Chesterfield Gorge before proceeding east, descending from the hill-towns into Deerfield and the Pioneer Valley. We re-visit the the top of Mt. Sugarloaf to see its famous view of the Connecticut River; the valley looks much more verdant and colorful than it did last winter. Down from the mountain, we eat lunch of Shanghainese dishes and noodle soups in Amherst before checking into our accommodations and taking a nap. In the late afternoon, we leave town and pass southeast through Belchertown to reach the southern portion of the Quabbin Reservoir. The autumn foliage is not yet quite as tremendous as when I visited this area with Lindsey last October, but we still get some lovely views at sundown. At the Enfield Lookout, we’re treated to a series of passing rainclouds and a stunning rainbow, which I use my polarizer to bring out on camera. Down at the Winsor Dam, we take some photos of the western hills before returning to Amherst for the night. From there, it’s a long drive on the Pike all the way back to the city the next morning.
