Bonjour,
A good question in an Autumn morning is “How did you enjoy the Fall season in New England ?”. To start with, I was sad to know that this year is being noticed to have drought foliage, where severe drought during the growing season usually makes tree leaves change color earlier and the color lasts for a shorter period. Whatsoever, the time goes incomplete in the East Coast if you do not go out to witness the color changing season on a sunny day and feel its essence pouring in the atmosphere. Likewise, we thought of visiting the Talcott Mountain State Park in Connecticut. We started in the morning at around 9 AM, with all colors in mind.
Drove a 30 min cruise to the State Park to find that it was overly full with parking. We struggled to find a parking spot in a fall season, which was unusual and did not anticipate that coming, but later fathomed that the punishing COVID situation on one hand and utterly pleasant sunny morning, on the other, was what people were looking for to stage a meaningful oblige to this day. Even if we found a road-side parking, but alas! walk-ins were not allowed anymore. One of the State Park guards shouted, “Howdy, we are trying to get back to the COVID numbers here, hence not admitting more people to the park.” Well that pinched my heart a bit, so did my wife’s, I understood.
Looking at the people move back to their cars, we thought for a moment and decided to visit another park but of less crowd, yet emitting colors. We cannot think to waste the fall season due to COVID, at least one day can be devoted to the cause. We decided to go to People’s State Forest, Barkhamsted, CT. The drive through the Barkhamsted reservoir was soothing, with colors all around and as we neared the destination, the colors deepened. A drive through the narrow driveway, Maple leaves falling though with a whoosh of the wind, accompanied with the satisfying weather conditions gives an immense sense of delight and revitalizes the mood. I was in the awe of its “charm of the moment”.
The Godly beauty of this forest cannot be defined with words, yet its captivating colors soothed my eyes. Sunrays through the woods, falling to the dense Maple and Oak trees, with the only sounds of birds and unpaved ways were like a Garden of Earthly delights. A small wooden bridge with an old texture, and a water trail gushing beneath, reminds me of a scenic art in our childhood days. Such was the facet of nature, that the leaves of the trees changes its chlorophyll content due to the changes in temperature and length of the daylight causing multiple versions of its color. This forest has attracted many hikers across the state. With very few families spending their time and some happy faces, looked like the perfect spot we wished for.
While we bid goodbye to foliage this year, hope to get more colorful year ahead.