Arlington/Bennington area?

[vtphoto]

Hey folks... I read the dismal report from the UMD guy/gal about SW VT. Seems like they were a little ways north of the Bennington/Arlington area.

Anyone have any new info on colors/leaf drop from the Bennington/Arlington area? Leaf drop seems to be a major problem across at least the northern 2/3 of the state from the winds last Sun/Wed.

Also, if anyone is familiar with the area, does the Batten Kill Valley around the West Arlington bridge tend to fog up on clear mornings?. (That would be a bonus.)

Luckily, my home state (VT) looks beautiful in any condition. Sadly, I'm currently living in exile in the putrid state of Ill-Annoy and I only get to visit 2-3 times a year. Have to hit the road early tomorrow morning in order to make it to work on time Tue morning! Can't stick around for sunrise in the Kingdom... but I'll have just enough time to take in the sunrise from either Bennington or Montreal... as it'll give me a 2-2.5 hour head start on the 18 hour drive.

I usually take the "upstairs" route across ON/QC to get back to IL from the NEK. Quicker and cheaper than I-90's endless toll booths, and the 401 is a much safer highway.

However, I'm willing to travel down to Bennington tonight to get a few hours of early morning shooting before hitting the road... *if* there isn't much leaf droppage. Otherwise, I planned on photographing the Montreal skyline at sunrise before setting my sights west.

Any info would be helpful!

[ixl]

I drove from Bennington through Arlington and up Mount Equinox today.

The color in Bennington is decent.. but still a lot of green. May peak in 7-10 days assuming the storm this week isn't too bad (and it may be bad.)

There are pockets of decent color in the Valley of Vermont but overall it's somewhat "blah".

The color near Manchester was poor, with a lot of leaf loss. I've seen it far nicer. There are some areas of the Taconics that look decent, but nothing awe-inspiring.

Best remaining chance is for Bennington, but with the weather forecast, it doesn't look good.

[Chessie]

The Battenkill usually has good mist or fog most cool mornings this time of year. You can get some good shots off of River Road in Arlington, and also Rt. 313. There's a nice stand of maples on River Road too, but I didn't head that way this year. Enjoy the drive.