As Autumn breathes one last gasp here in New England, I’ve been chasing foliage every chance I have been able to find. Though it is past peak in many parts of Northern New England, Central Massachusetts was exploding with color this last week.

Taking advice from my cousin, Joe, I wandered off to the Quabbin Reservoir to see if I could find anything worthwhile. I was pleasantly surprised by not only the beauty of Boston’s water supply (more on that in another post), but also the amazing trees and wonderful paths that you could stomp around in around the water. Not only was there an overlook to climb up to the top of, but about 25 different places you could easily slip into the woods and wander around old cellar holes and walls while taking in this beautiful area.

Not only that, but the area is open throughout the year for different types of recreation, whether it is hiking, snowshoeing, or learning about the history of the site! And it is all free, best thing in the world 🙂

However, I had not gotten my fill of beauty yet, so I decided to go to another site called Bear’s Den Falls in New Salem, MA. Unlike its counterpart along the coast, it was not officially incorporated until 1775 and has had no witch problems in its history. Boasting just 990 people in the town, it has some amazing places to visit without the crowds you might find in other parts of the state.

Here, I attempted some new techniques with my camera since I had thought ahead and brought my tripod.

I had just enough time before traffic got wicked bad to pop into “town” and see the old Main Street area of New Salem. I was not dissapointed. Always being flexible with travel can lead to some amazing views.