I spent parts of October 3, 5, and 7 at various places along and near Routes 4 and 4A in New Hampshire. The foliage was beautiful and very vivid. Some folks predicted our dry summer and fall would lead to dull colors, but this has been the best foliage season in memory. I’ve long believed that predictions about fall foliage are about as reliable as weather predictions two weeks in advance.
My longest day of photography was October 3 when I did a loop east on Rt 4A then back west on Route 4. My first stop was the best local area for early fall reds — the Enfield Wildlife Management Area. Fog was hanging low over the hills and shielding the sun, but it promised to be a sunny day.
Thirty minutes later down the road a bit, the fog had cleared over McDaniel’s Marsh.
I headed to a series of wetlands in Springfield and saw a Northern Harrier across a marsh. I was able to get a few distant shots before it departed, circling high overhead in a thermal from the nearby hills.
Down 4A just a short distance I got this photo.
I stopped in North Wilmot to get some photos for an article I am writing and photographing. I’m not showing those photos here, but this is a shot from this small village of white buildings.
I turned a short distance off 4A and stopped at a spot I had bypassed numerous times before. This proved the old photo rule — it is hard to find photos while driving. You really need to stop — almost anywhere — and walk around to really see the possibilities. This is Cascade Brook, a beautiful stream I had photographed many times before in summer and winter, but at a location somewhat to the east.
I walked across the road and got this photo just upstream of the photo above.
Looping back, I got this photo about 1/8 mile from 4A.
A short distance off Route 4A this scene revealed a mirror-like Blackwater River with Ragged Mountain in the background.
Across from the SE end of 4A is the Cilleyville Bog Bridge. It is closed to traffic, and there is a picnic table inside it.
My two favorite mountains in the area for hiking are Mount Kearsarge and Mount Sunapee. Here is Mount Kearsarge from South Danbury.
At the dam end of Danbury Bog is this scene. I decided to not try out the rope swing.
This is the scene just below the dam.
About a mile south of the dam is this view of Danbury Bog from the road.
The other side of the road looked like this.
A short hike from this spot revealed a nice view through the trees.
Back to the road, a couple with a young child had arrived to fish. That is Ragged Mountain ski area in the background.
Heading NW, I photographed Tilton Pond from the side of Route 4.
On October 5, my wife and I took an early morning hike in Enfield just across the new Shaker Bridge from Route 4A. The early fog created some nice soft light.
After our hike I checked out a site where I have been commissioned to create an image that can be printed very large. I decided conditions were not right so I decided to wait some days. I then drove to the Packard Hill Covered Bridge in Lebanon which is located less than two miles from the NW end of 4A as the crow flies. One can walk the Northern Rail Trail along the Mascoma River from 4A to this bridge passing some beautiful areas conserved by the Upper Valley Land Trust.
I met a young woman at the bridge who was taking photos for her photography class at Colby Sawyer College. After chatting with her and telling her about Route 4A, I made this photo, silently thanking the city for cutting the brush that had been hiding the bridge from this spot for a long time.
Heading home, the fog still provided soft light at this spot about a mile from my house.
I stayed home October 6 to get caught up on many items that were being neglected. But I did get a shot of a dramatic maple in my yard with the moon. A polarizer helped the colors pop in the bright late afternoon sun.
October 7 found my wife and me in Canaan, NH a bit north of Route 4. We were there for a hike, but of course I used this as an opportunity to take more photos. A slight breeze was already pulling leaves off this maple.
Looking in the other direction I got this view. What a great spot.
On the way home we drove by Goose Pond.
We concluded the week today with a hike in Hanover Center. Here are two from early this morning.
Here are some of the other photos I took the first week of October 2016.
If you would like to see photos from along Route 4A the last week of September 2016, click HERE.
If you would like to see photos from along Route 4A and read a description of this wonderful short road that almost no one drives, click HERE.