BRETTON WOODS (dpa) – Some people go to a lot of effort to see the Indian summer in New England, on the east coast of the United States, the autumn turns the leaves into a grandiose carpet of colour ranging from deep red through orange, golden and yellow.
Timing is everything for the “leaf peepers”, as these enthusiasts are called in the U.S. The season is short and dependent on the weather.In northern New England, in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, the autumnal magic begins in mid-September. It then continues southwards at a speed dependent on the weather.By the early October, it reaches its geographical centre of the three northerly states and by the end of the month the natural theatre has spread to Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.Regional telephone hotlines keep passionate peepers up-to-date on the details. But the local inhabitants of New England do not worry too much about being in the right place at the right time. They say wherever there is a tree there are leaves, and in New England all the leaves turn bright and beautiful in autumn.The Indians used to say this spectacle of colour was caused by the dripping blood of the “hunted” Great Bear constellation of stars, and in fact the Great Bear is particularly low in the sky at this time of year.But the scientific explanation is less romantic: it is caused by cold nights, warm days and seasonally diminishing sun hours. This diminishes the chlorophyll that overlies the real colours of the leaves with its green pigmentation, thereby revealing the true colours of the leaves: many different shades of red, orange, gold yellow and purple.Visitors who choose Boston as the gateway to the spectacular Indian Summer should travel northwards from there. The first stop should be the White Mountains in the northern part of New Hampshire and Maine. The rocky granite mountains around Franconia, Bretton Woods and Jackson are easily reached via the Interstate I-93.The view from Mount Washington (1,917 metres) is an experience not to be missed, even though it is often very windy. On April 12, 1934, this spot recorded the highest wind speed ever measured outside a tornado (372 kilometres per hour).The average annual temperature on the mountain is minus three degrees Celsius. In fact, the weather on Mount Washington is known as the worst in New England.But if you are lucky enough to visit when the sun is shining, you are rewarded with a view stretching to Vermont or neighbouring Maine over forests and vast stretches of red, golden, orange and yellow trees.But the region has more to offer than just leaf peeping. Anglers with a licence can fish for trout and salmon. The more adventurous can go on rafting, canoe or kayak trips on wild waters. Hikers in this region can experience weather extremes of bright sunshine one minute and snow flurries the next.Amid this colourful, softly rolling landscape, are white-washed churches with high steeples, white farmhouses with red barns and well-maintained, covered wooden bridges.One gem of the White Mountains is the Mount Washington Hotel in Bretton Woods. A century ago this grand hotel was the end station for up to 50 private railway companies, with which rich society travelled here from New York, or Philadelphia.In 1944 the hotel hosted the Bretton Woods Conference, formally named the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference, that was convened to make financial arrangements for the post-war world after the expected defeat of Germany and Japan. It laid the foundations for turning the U.S. dollar into “the” stabile currency and set up the world bank and the International Monetary Fund.At Lake Champlain, you should not miss one of the ferries that cross the lake westwards to the state of New York, to enjoy the sunset. In the morning, after a typical New England breakfast of hot pancakes with blueberries or maple syrup, you continue over the curving roads between bright forests.Between Poutney and Manchester Center, farmers sell pumpkins and apples on the roadside. And there are numerous antique shops to tempt you along the way. If you are captivated by the picture book landscape here, you too will become a “leaf peeper” and there will be only one holiday destination for you next year.Information on the Internet:
http://discovernewengland.com
http://www.usamass.com
