Day 1: Colorful New England is our destination as we seek the fall colors. After a ride through Kansas and Missouri we arrive in Collinsville, IL, for night.

2: A stop in Casey, IL, gives us the opportunity to explore “Big Things in a Small Town”.  It is fun to see how a small town with the help of a local benefactor has created bigger than life items and placed them around town.  Some of the items include a wind chime, mail box, crochet hook, and rocking chair. Twelve of these are listed as the world’s largest. We continue into Ohio where we overnight in Dayton.

3: This afternoon we visit the Flight 93 Memorial near Shanksville, PA. This memorial is located where Flight 93 crashed on September 11, 2001. We continue to scenic central Pennsylvania. Night in Bedford.

4: Today we continue our drive east traveling through Pennsylvania and through a corner of New York state before we drive along the Connecticut coast to overnight in Mystic.

5: We start our day with a visit to Mystic Seaport. Visiting its historic houses, shops and trade buildings gives us a better understanding of life in a 19th-century seaport village. Next we travel through the state of Rhode Island to get to Plymouth, MA, where we visit Plymouth Rock. Later we travel to Boston for the next two nights.

6: Today we spend a day rich in American history. Following the Freedom Trail, we’ll see such sights as Boston Common, Beacon Hill, and the Old North Church. In the afternoon we cross the Charles River to see the storied battlefields of Lex­ing­ton and Concord.

7: This is our day to visit some of the quaint villages of coastal Maine. A local guide joins us for a tour of Kennebunkport and Portland, including a stop at the Portland Head Light Lighthouse. Night in Portland.

8: A short drive across the southern tip of Maine brings us into New Hampshire where we anticipate beautiful fall colors. A drive along the scenic Kancamagus Pass brings us into the heart of the White Mountains.  A box lunch is included as we travel. This afternoon we visit the Vermont Granite Museum in Barre, VT. The museum is housed in a 28,000 sq. ft. 1895 granite manufacturing plant. A tour of the facility offers us insight into the granite industry in Vermont. There is also time to explore their exhibits.  The next two nights are spent in Montpelier, VT.   

9: This is our day to enjoy the fall colors as we visit sites in and around Montpelier.  We begin the day with a visit to Hope Cemetery which is filled with tombstones elaborately sculpted from granite quarried in the area.  This afternoon we visit a local maple sugar farm.  While at the farm we learn how tree sap is collected and turned into syrup and other maple treats.  Next we take a factory tour at Ben & Jerry’s  ice cream and have an opportunity to sample their flavor of the day. 

10: Our travel today takes us around the southern tip of Lake Champlain and into New York state.  Along the way we make a stop at the Old Round Church in Richmond, VT.  This sixteen-sided National Historic Landmark was built from 1812 to 1813 by self-taught architect William Rhodes.  Soon after we cross the state line we are in the Adirondack Mountains and more opportunity to see fall color. We stop in Lake Placid, host of the 1980 Winter Olympics. This afternoon we continue through the Adirondacks to overnight in Watertown.

11: Today we are on our way across northern New York headed for Niagara Falls. A mid-afternoon arrival allows us time to ride to the base of Niagara Falls on the Maid of the Mist. Night in Niagara Falls. 

12: This morning we visit Goat Island for a close-up view above the falls.  A pleasant drive along Lake Erie occupies our afternoon before we arrive near Maumee, OH, for night.

13: Our way leads steadily home through the farmlands of central Illinois and Iowa. Night in Des Moines.

14: This is our last day with a chance to reflect on a beautiful trip before we reach our destination in central Kansas.