I happened to be in America when I heard the phrase “leaf peeping tourism” being repeatedly mentioned on radio. It was only when I saw pictures on TV of trees wearing their autumn colours of brilliant oranges, reds and yellows that I knew what this meant. I also realised this was definitely one of Nature’s grandest colour displays and that I must see it.
A week later I set off with my family for New Hampshire, supposedly one of the best “autumn states”, and began our leaf-viewing pilgrimage on a scenic drive from Boston along the north-east coast of America.
Since Boston is one of the oldest cities in America we decided to explore it first. We started at the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776 and walked the 2.5km Freedom Trail, which links the 16 important historic and colonial states as far as North End, which has been Boston’s Italian quarter for nearly 100 years.
We then took to the open road and, suddenly, our world caught fire and we were surrounded by hills and forests ablaze with colour. This display continued for kilometre after kilometre.
Initially we were helped by foliage reports on radio and TV and by the toll-free Autumn Foliage Hotline run by the US Forest Service, which answers visitors’ queries and advises which leaves are “turning” in which resorts. But we soon realised that wherever we went, whichever road we travelled, we’d still be surrounded by the magnificent splendour of autumn leaves.
Our car radio told us how and why the leaves change into nature’s most vivid primary colours. It happens suddenly. One day the trees are green, the next they’re ablaze, a solid mass of so much colour that it’s often impossible to see any of the branches. We also learned how it happens. In the cooling temperatures of late summer the veins that carry the fluids in and out of the leaves close off and a layer of cork cells forms at the base of each leaf, which reduces the water and mineral intake. As a result, the chlorophyll decreases, the yellow and red pigments are synthesised and become dominant in a Hallelujah Chorus of colour.
This has lead to considerable research to discover why these trees suddenly have a major surge of energy and create multi-coloured pigments when they are about to shed them and “close down” for winter; the predominant theory is that it is their strategy to protect itself from insects.
But there was even more to interest us in New England than the amazing blaze of leaf colours. Since Americans rarely miss a trick when it comes to tourism, there are well-marked trails to follow by car and on foot, ranging from easy hikes to serious ones. In some mountainous areas there is a ski lift, an observation tower and a café as well. There are also farmers selling their fresh produce for next to nothing from stalls on the roadside, plus many special events such as country fairs and festivals.
The eastern states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut are the oldest inhabited parts of America and are where the first shots of the American Revolution were fired so, apart from the autumn extravaganza and the accompanying diversions, there are graceful colonial towns, historic buildings and old whaling villages, as well as hundreds of kilometres of beautiful coastline and thick forests of oak, maple, hemlock, beech, pine and spruce. All six states have preserved their original character, so this is a unique region made even better by the full force of two months of the blazing autumn makeover.
We visited Portsmouth, a restored city centre dating from 1623 with museums illustrating life from the early pioneering days. Where America’s cities have ancient buildings and a sizeable history, there is plenty of practical data regarding the lives of the early settlers, and all the buildings are beautifully preserved. We particularly enjoyed Concord, the state capital.
Lake Winnispesaukee, New Hampshire’s largest, is as big as many of the smaller seas of the world and has 288km of coastline and more than 300 islands covered with trees. Later we reached the White Mountains, New England’s mountain range, which is definitely misnamed in autumm when there is every colour in the spectrum – except white.
Eventually we crossed into Maine, the largest state in America which dates back to the days of King Charles I of England who issued a Royal Charter for the province and county of Maine in 1639. Here there are beautiful old buildings, again made even more beautiful by the autumn display. The rock-bound coasts are highly developed, but since this is the case at home in KwaZulu-Natal, we concentrated on the leaves, and while even the most beautiful of buildings are rarely remembered in their entirety, America’s jewelled leaves of autumn will never be forgotten.
l There are approximately two months of quality viewing during most of October till the end of November, though it is thought to be starting slightly earlier in recent years because of global warming. - Sunday Tribune