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This Fall Color Your Life with Fun and Adventure
By Sandra Scott
When the sugar maples and dogwoods turn a fiery red, light the fire under a massive balloon and take off. When the birches, tulip poplars, and hickory turn a bright yellow brighten your life riding a steed along a colorful mountain trail. When fall arrives add fun and adventure to your life riding the rails or the rapids. Park the car and see the world of many colors by air, water, rail, or trail.
Light the Fires
"Let's kick the tires and light the fires!" That’s the way a balloon ride with Sean Quigley starts. Quigley, the owner of Balloons Over Letchworth, is really saying "let the fun begin."
Take viewing the fall colors to new heights. Enjoy a bird’s eye view gliding just above the treetops. The carpet of red, gold, and yellow mixed with the evergreens makes for a spectacular montage when combined with a view of Letchworth State Park or the Finger Lakes.
From 2000 feet the world looks perfect. Balloons go with the wind so the ride feels windless. To control the altitude the pilot alternates turning the burner off and on. According to Carroll Teitsworth, owner of Liberty Balloon Company, a balloon ride "…is quite noisy and very quiet! When the burner is on it is noisy but between burner blasts it is so quiet we can talk to people on the ground and even hear a deer running through the woods. It is impossible to describe until you experience it!" Combine that with the fall foliage for an unforgettable experience.
FYI: Check Balloons Over Letchworth, 585-493-3340, and Liberty Balloon, 800-777-2FLY. Expect the experience to cost about $200. For more ballooning opportunities in New York State including rides over the Adirondacks, Catskills, Long Island, and Chautauqua Lake go to www.blastvalve.com/Balloon_Rides/USA/New_York_Balloon_Rides.
Go with the flow
Viewing the colors of fall from the water is one of life’s special treats. It can be done rapidly or at a leisurely five miles an hour. The sight of the gold and red leaves reflected in the blue water will take your breath away especially if you are whitewater rafting. According to Whitewater Challengers, a whitewater rafting trip will be "…the most fun you’ll have all year!" Most rafting trips start with a set of breathtaking, heart-pounding rapids followed by a tranquil section where the raft slows down and rafters enjoy nature’s splendor, usually with no manmade objects in view. Rafting is available on the Hudson, Moose, Black, and Salmon Rivers.
If coursing along over the rapids in a rubber raft seems too adventurous then view the world in a new and magical light motoring along at a sedate five miles an hour in a houseboat. The trees along the Erie Canal celebrate when the summer tourist leave by donning their very best colors. Combine the engineering marvel of the Erie Canal and the marvel of nature in a most tranquil setting. Be the captain of your own boat. If you can drive a car you can pilot a boat on a canal, and you can’t get lost because there are no wrong turns!
FYI: For a rafting experience check Challengers , 800-443-RAFT.
Expect to pay between $60 and $80. Most rafting companies also supply rental canoes and kayaks. To rent a boat on the canal check Canal Princess, 716-693-2752, or Mid-Lakes Navigation Company, 800-545-4318. Weekly boat rentals on the Erie Canal range from $1200 to $2700. NYS abounds in water-related adventures including kayaking, canoeing, and scenic lake boat tours. For more water-related opportunities in New York State, including a list of rafting companies, check "Waterways" under "Travel Ideas" at I Love NY.
Vacate
"Let’s vacate to the Adirondacks." A hundred years ago the word "vacation" worked its way into our vocabulary when the rich and famous vacated the cities for the fresh air of the Adirondack Mountains. Most traveled by rail. Relive the golden age of railroading with a scenic rail excursion departing from the restored Union Station in Utica. During the two-hour journey you are likely to see deer and other wild animals surrounded by a kaleidoscope of fall colors. With a four-hour layover in Thendara there is time to take the chair lift to the top of McCauley Mountain or a lake cruise on the Fulton Chain of lake for more colorful panoramas.
Or, depart from the Lake Placid Station and paddle on the Saranac River with their Canoe and Rail package ($36).
FYI: For more information on the Adirondack Railroad check www.adirondackrr.com, 315-724-0700. The Utica to Thendara adult round trip rail ticket is $30 or $42 if the Old Forge Cruise is added. Information on Old Forge Cruises and McCauley Mountain can be found at www.oldforgeny.com. An adult ticket for the McCauley Chair Lift is $5. Reduced fares are available for children and senior citizens.
The Arcade and Attica Railroad, 585-492-3100, and the Catskill Mountain Railroad, 845-688-7400, offer other fall foliage rail excursions.
Hey, Dude!
Happy trails become beautiful trails in the fall. If you have no steed of your own check into one of New York State’s several dude ranches. The Pine Grove Ranch and Resort, 800-346-4626, in the Catskill Mountains is an all-inclusive family resort that offers horseback riding plus the opportunity to take part in a cattle drive. Fall value all-inclusive weekends are $239 per person with discount rates for children.
At 1000 Acres Ranch Resort, 800-458-7311, near Lake George, you can ride the trails by day and on a crisp fall evening warm yourself around a blazing bonfire. All-inclusive fall weekend packages are $273 per person for adults and less for children.
For more dude ranch options go to iloveny.com, check "Horses" under "Accommodations."
In Central New York, you can saddle up at Highland Forest for a guided one-hour trail ride for $25 per person per hour. Call 315-495-6263 for reservations.
Hike it and bike it
From local parks to trails along the canal, New York State abounds in places to hike and bike. Looking for new places to explore? Check American Trails, for an extensive list of sites devoted to places to hike and bike plus a listing of other trail adventures.
Fall is beautiful in New York State from all angles. Viewing the resplendent foliage from a balloon, a houseboat, a train, or a horse makes for an unforgettable fall experience. Peak foliage for a specific time period and area can be found at iloveny.com where the fall foliage map is updated regularly.
Sandra Scott is a freelance writer and regular contributor to The Traveler
Visit Sandra at SanScott.com
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