HIGHLAND — Rita Downing is looking for leaves.
She steps out of the car on a sunny fall day, walks to the shore of the Hudson and surveys the trees on the horizon. They form a broad ridge of green, red and yellow.
“Look over the river,” she says. “It’s almost peak, or pretty near peak.”
That’s not just Downing’s impressionistic opinion. That’s the observation of an official New York leaf-peeper.
Downing is one of 60 volunteers statewide who gather information for New York’s fall foliage reports, which tourists check online and by phone to guide their autumn outings.
Of course, the leaves remain perfect only for a week or two in any given region. By the time Downing reports peak foliage for her area in the mid-Hudson Valley in mid- to late October, the Adirondacks are long past peak. The lower Hudson Valley is nearing peak, and trees on Long Island and New York City are just starting to change.
But Downing accepts the ephemeral nature of her task and emphasizes how much else there is for visitors to do in the area after the colors have faded from the landscape.
Driving around, she points out pumpkins glistening in the sun in a pick-your-own field by the side of the road, and a display of rainbow-colored tie-dyed T-shirts outside the Groovy Blueberry, a store on Main Street in New Paltz. Nearby is the Gilded Otter, a brew pub, and La Stazione, an Italian restaurant.
Every crossroads seems to lead to an apple orchard where the trees blush with red fruit, or a winery where visitors line up for tastings. While the pumpkins and apples won’t be pickable much past Halloween, events and tours at the wineries take place well into December.
At Adair Winery, owner Marc Stopkie poured grapes into a roaring machine that spit out the stems and piped the pulp into a giant steel vat. Blackberry kir, a blend of berries and dry white wine, was offered to guests inside the showroom, located in a picturesque 215-year-old barn.
Downing’s stops included the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, where she walked, crunching fallen leaves beneath her feet, to a picturesque bridge that’s a favorite subject for artists. She also took in a panoramic view of the valley, steps from the entrance to the Mohonk Preserve on Mohonk Mountain, a popular destination for hikers.
As Downing made her rounds, she ran into others out enjoying the season, like two women collecting tiny maple leaves along the rail trail.
“We make leaf art,” explained Lili Panek, who was there with her mother, Joan Holt, looking for the most colorful and perfectly shaped leaves they could find. “We use them in picture frames. No two frames end up alike.”
Downing, who works in Highland as a real estate agent, began surveying the foliage years ago with her brother, Maurice, when he was a leaf-peeper.
“I just loved the scenery and the whole thing,” she recalled. “I’d tag along with him, listening to his musings and ramblings. Was it more than last week, brighter, more colorful?”
•••
IF YOU GO
• FALL FOLIAGE: Foliage in much of New York state is past peak, but southerly regions of New York peak end-October and first week of November. Check iloveny.com or call (800) 225-5697.
• ADAIR VINEYARDS: 52 Allhusen Road, New Paltz, (845) 255-1377. Open 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily through October, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Friday through Sunday in November. Adair is one of 11 wineries on the Shawangunk Wine Trail. The wineries’ “Wreath Fineries” event takes place Dec. 2-3, 9-10 and 16-17. Participants receive a grapevine wreath, souvenir wine glass and holiday ornaments, plus tastings and food.
• HUDSON VALLEY RAIL TRAIL: Highland. Parking and access off Route 299, either at Tony Williams Park on Riverside Road, or on New Paltz Road. Trail is paved for 2 1/2 miles. Winterfest, Jan. 21. Cross-country skiing as weather permits.
• MOHONK MOUNTAIN HOUSE: 1000 Mountain Rest Road, New Paltz; mohonk.com or (845) 255-1000. Rates range from $258-$775.
• MOHONK PRESERVE: New Paltz; mohonkpreserve.org or (845) 255-0919. Admission: $9, hikers and bikers; $15, climbers; children 12 and under free. Guided hikes and other events every weekend.
• ORCHARDS: Listings for Highland-New Paltz area under Ulster County at nyapplecountry.com. Call to check produce availability.
Lifestyle
Related Photos
-
Associated Press
Discussion
Foliage fans still have time to take in nature's beauty
- Lifestyle
-
-
Family ties come in time
When it comes to genealogy, all you need to do sometimes is catch a break.
-
Imagination is a wonderful — and scary — thing
Tiger, squirrel, what's the difference when you're 2?
-
The law of conservation of energy — with kids
Watching the thundering herd pass us, the father shook his head ... and called to the children:
“How can you have so much energy when I’m so tired?”
We looked at each other and laughed, each then, perhaps, seeing our future in the tired parents. To this day, eight years later, there are still moments when we look at our kids, then each other, and repeat those words. -
Albany man visits WNY-based hockey legend
An Albany-area man was the guest of hockey legend Scotty Bowman when the Stanley Cup made what seems like its nearly annual trek to Bowman’s Amherst home.
-
NT-based service offers support, counseling to cancer patients
There used to be a time when the word “cancer” wasn’t even in most people’s vocabularies.
Rather than utter the disease’s name, according to Hillary Ruchlin, people would use the term “the big C” to denote what illness they were talking about.
Times have changed for the better, said Ruchlin, executive director of the Cancer Wellness Center in North Tonawanda. People now know that there is hope. -
Parenting can be easy to say but hard to do
The parental saying is so commonly used that it’s almost become cliché: “I would do anything for my children.”
But what they don’t tell you is that, some days, it’s harder than others to fulfill that mantra. -
Green Day is Rock Hall shoo-in
Green Day will one day see the inside of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — and I don't mean merely as a visitor.
-
Tonawanda native delivers some of TV world’s biggest scoops
When people want the latest big news about the goings-on in the world of television, they generally turn to the New York Times, Variety and other major media outlets.
When the reporters at those outlets want to get informed, they have been known to turn to a one-man operation that operates out of a small Florida bedroom. -
When a dad needs to be a dad
I don't condone the actions of vigilante fathers ... but I understand.
-
Reeves’ Buffalo film tests well
Early indications are that the Keanu Reeves that filmed throughout the Buffalo-Niagara region late last fall will be worth watching.
- More Lifestyle Headlines
-
Ravi Spared Prison in Rutgers Webcam Case
Miss. Prison Quiet After Riot; 1 Dead
Obama Confident Afghans Can Take Security Lead
Raw Video: Deadly Bombing at Yemen Parade Preps
Professor: Chinese Activist's 'Spirit Is Good'
Ring of Fire Eclipse Seen in U.S., Asia
Golden Gate Bridge Celebrates 75 Years
G-8 Seeks Unity on Euro-debt Crisis, Iran
Prosecutors: Trio Planned to Attack Obama's HQ
Obama: G8 Unified in Stance on Iran, Syria
