Taking in the colors

For an unforgettable blend of color, culture and dramatic scenery, nothing beats the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec City. (Photo: istockphoto.com/vladone)

Renee Kariv grew up in Houston, where fall colors meant a little less green and a little more brown. She’d hear her mother, who often visited Philadelphia to see family, talk about the spectacular displays that would unfold every autumn. She would bring back colored leaves to share with the grandchildren. “We knew it was special, because my grandmother talked about it a lot,” recalled Karen, Renee’s daughter.

Karen’s path took her east, as it turned out, and she didn’t have to imagine anymore. College at Duke University in North Carolina, then up the coast to Boston, Philadelphia, New York, New Jersey. It didn’t take long to understand her grandmother’s enthusiasm for the fall.

Renee had always wanted to see the fall colors; now that Karen lived on the East Coast, she decided to take advantage of it. In 1997 the mother-daughter duo took their first leaf-peeping tour to Connecticut, where they wandered the back roads, got lost, got a room at the Foxwoods Casino and gambled to their heart’s content, and ended up in the tiny seaport town of Mystic, featured in the 1988 Julia Roberts film, Mystic Pizza. 

They had so much fun they decided to make a tradition of it. It’s become a cornerstone of their relationship, a timeless place where they can relax and laugh and make lifelong memories together.

“It’s so rare to get one-on-one time with your mother,” reflected Karen. “At the beginning I wasn’t quite sure – was three days with Mom looking at leaves going to be fun? I thought it was kind of cheesy, to be honest – but truthfully the leaves are beautiful, and it’s fun to sit and talk and giggle and have memories.

“We don’t have a plan, we just have a destination – and a lot of fun along the way.”

Since then, they’ve perused the fall foliage of the Catskills of New York, State, where they shopped in Woodstock and sampled local wines in Rhinebeck; wound their way through the Green Mountains of Vermont, shopping for antiques and stopping in at the “sugar shacks” to watch how maple syrup is made; and spent the night at the Equinox, a luxury resort and spa in charming Manchester Village.

Finally, last year: New Hampshire. They rented a a cabin in Waterville Valley and used it as a jumping-off point for the famous Kancamagus Highway through the White Mountain National Forest, rated one of the most scenic in the country and the jumping-off point for sights like Franconia Notch, Flume Gorge and Loon Mountain. They had a three-hour wait at the wildly popular Polly’s Pancake Parlor near Franconia.

“We were kind of shocked,” said Renee. “We were in the middle of nowhere, and it was already 11 – obviously we weren’t the only leaf peepers. It’s amazing how many people come from around the world to see that.”

The plan was to go from there to Mount Washington, the highest point east of the Mississippi, but locals told them the peak had already passed up there, so instead they headed to Portsmouth, a quintessential New England college town with steeples and historic manors, where they shopped the day away in boutiques and galleries.

Last year was what Karen called her “last hurrah” – at least for a while. “I was nine months pregnant; I thought we’d be decorating the nursery. But Mom said, ‘Come on! It will be fun!’ So we said let’s do it, and I just figured out where the hospitals were along the way.”

The pair can get a bit carried away when it comes to stocking up on local delicacies, they admit. Renee laughs when she recalls Karen’s husband Amol’s reaction upon opening the trunk of their car and finding it loaded with pancake mixes, maple syrup, spice mixes and other items from local specialty shops.

 “We just had a ball,” she chuckled. “We’re still laughing about it.”

Now, with little Cole a year old, the two of them are planning their first post-baby leaf-peeping getaway to Vermont, hopefully next year.

“I plan the trips, and she shows up with the AAA maps, already marked with a highlighter,” Karen said with a laugh. “I usually drive, and she usually takes the pictures. We try to plan something fun for each of us, and then we’ll take a pretty little road with something fun to do at the end.”

Kevin and Lauren Harte Hargrove took their Yorkie, Spencer, on a spontaneous fall-colors tour in upstate New York.

For Kevin and Lauren Hargrove, a spontaneous Columbus Day weekend jaunt in upstate New York with their Yorkie, Spencer, turned into the memory of a lifetime when they decided to take a drive through the Adirondacks to Lake Placid. They lived in New York City at the time, and Kevin, from San Antonio, had grown up like the Karivs, without really experiencing the fall-color phenomenon.

Lake Placid, a ski resort in the winter, turns into a showcase of natural color for a few weeks in October, and the Hargroves timed it just right. Home to the 1980 Winter Olympics, Lake Placid has capitalized on the event to offer year-round activities related to the region’s Olympic history. The couple marveled at a ski-jump competition and took the leap themselves with a bobsled ride.

They found a region that was highly dog-friendly. They hiked through the mountains and took leafy rural roads from town to town, stopping at wineries and enjoying a series of fall festivals, listening to music and enjoying the local cuisine on outdoor patios. 

Now that they’re living in Houston, they’re planning a return – this time, with their 11-month-old son Ellis; maybe next time, they’ll go kayaking on Lake Placid, or book a room at Mirror Lake Inn, which was full last time. “It would definitely be worth the trip,” said Lauren. “There are just thousands of trees before you that are all different colors – you don’t really see that type of scenery around here.”

To others who might be planning a fall-colors expedition, the Karivs and the Hargroves offer similar advice: Slow down, chill out, and just take it all in. It’s definitely about the journey, not the destination.

“I think I’d say, don’t overplan it,” said Karen. “The fun of the trip is not having an itinerary; it’s wandering around to see what you find. That when most of our laughs come, from never being sure what’s going to happen. Just take your time and enjoy it; it’s about where you’re at and who you’re with, not checking things off the list.”

Fall pilgrimage in Quebec: Color and culture

While many people head East to take in the fall, broadcaster and travel consultant Virginia Mampre advises heading north. For unforgettable color amid a spectacular backdrop, she recommends heading up along the St. Lawrence River from Montreal to Quebec, visiting the sugar shacks along the way, and topping it off with a St. Lawrence Seaway boat trip to see the whales.

“Somewhere in storage I have a shot of five great whales arcing out over the water, spouting as they moved,” she reminisced. “All along the trip we moved through the brilliant, lush, fire colors of autumn at its peak. The bright sun accented the glowing reds, yellows and oranges that doubled the awe when reflected in water mirrors. I must have taken a thousand pictures.”

At the two extremes, Montreal and Quebec City offer very different urban experiences; modern, cutting-edge Montreal contrasts nicely with Old Quebec, the UNESCO-designated, “dripping with charm” old town of Quebec City.

“There’s a confluence in these places of the Old and the New Worlds, when it was first happening,” Mampre said. “That’s what makes it so unique; as you are walking through the streets, you could be in Old Europe and you’ve never crossed the Atlantic – you hear French spoken on the streets, as it’s the main language.”

For those with money to spend, the region has an array of options. Mampre and her companions stayed in luxury inns and a beautiful bed and breakfast, enjoyed local cuisine and sampled ice wines, cloudberry liquor and a maple liqueur.

One of her favorite recommendations is to check out the offerings of Cirque du Soleil co-creator-turned tourism tycoon Daniel Gauthier. Seeking a way to highlight the Charlevoix region, he purchased a vintage train and one of Canada’s oldest farms and transformed them into a showcase for scenery, regional food producers and cuisine. Now you can take a gourmet-dinner cruise on the scenic Tren de la Massif through craggy mountains and along dramatic banks of the St. Lawrence River with a layover at La Ferme Hotel in tiny Baie-St.-Paul, where Cirque du Soleil was born, at the heart of a century-old restored farm.

Another option is to hire a driver so you can be free to look around, and head down the river road. “It’s an incredible trip, with unobstructed views – you want to stop at every bend – light would be shafting through the leaves illuminated from within. All of Canada is ablaze in that area up through the east, with the poplar, the sugar maples, the reds and the yellows – it’s just one of those bucket-list experiences.”

If you go

Virginia Mampre’s picks, from her many travels in the region:

Quebec City

Auberge Saint-Antoine – Great for seeing the cathedral and the old quarter (spectacular day or night), with many excellent small restaurants available by a short walk, and art walks along the old walkways. www.saint-antoine.com/en

Fairmont Le Château Frontenac – The grand dame classic up on the point overlooking the city and not far from La Citadelle, North America’s largest historic fort. www.fairmont.com/frontenac-quebec

Le Bonne Entente – Resort and spa set amid gardens in the modern part of the city. www.lebonneentente.com/default-en.html

Up the waterway

Fairmont Le Manoir Richelieu: The best of the Charlevoix countryside, with all the modern conveniences. www.fairmont.com/richelieu-charlevoix

Montreal

Hotel Le St-James – Historic former bank in Old Montreal remodeled into an exquisite boutique hotel. www.hotellestjames.com

Ritz-Carlton – Classic, historical. www.ritzmontreal.com/default-en.html

Chateau St-Marc – intimate. www.chateaustmarc.com

Hotel Loft – Modern and a bit edgy.lofthotel.ca/en