Fall Foliage Driving Trips: Finger Lakes
A fall foliage road trip is more than a mere drive. It also includes apple picking, tasting cider and hot doughnuts, and perhaps most importantly, leaving your vehicle behind to take a much-needed scenic walk to a lonely waterfall, where autumn’s colors reflect off the water. Despite big marketing campaigns from states like Vermont, fall foliage is not restricted to the borders of New England. At Shenandoah National Park, orange beech trees and scarlet dogwoods provide the majestic color. Add fall harvest at vineyards and the annual fall round-up of bison at Custer State Park in South Dakota and you have more than enough reasons to hit the road.
This week, I’ll be discussing my favorite picks for September/October driving trips. If interested in any of these routes, please let ActiveTravels know and we’ll design an itinerary that takes into account the latest travel restrictions and lodging where you feel comfortable:
Route 54A, Keuka Lake, New York
Autumn in the Finger Lakes of western New York State is the time of year when leaves on the maples turn a tad crimson and the grapes on the vines are ready to be harvested for their award-winning Rieslings. Start on the northern tip of Keuka Lake in the town of Penn Yan. Head south on Route 54A and just outside of town, you’ll see signs for Apple Barrel Orchards, a third-generation U-pick apple orchard that makes homemade cider on the premises. Continue south along the shores of the 20-mile long lake to reach Dr. Konstantin Frank Winery. Founded in 1962 and now run by Dr. Frank’s grandson, Fred, Dr. Frank put the Finger Lakes on the wine lovers’ map with his award-winning dry and semi-dry Rieslings. Nearby in Ithaca, Firelight Camps, offers the ideal glamping opportunity.
Many of you already have first-hand knowledge of what we like to call the 
Greece has a nostalgic appeal for Lisa and me since we went there on our honeymoon a lifetime ago. We had no reservations and took ferries from island to island, quickly learning that there were many gems in the Mediterranean that no one except wise Scandinavians knew about. We purchased a book called “Undiscovered Islands of the Mediterranean” and off we went. Our first stop, Folegandros, was arguably our favorite island on the entire trip. With a handful of travelers, we scrambled into a mini-bus and were dropped off at an incredibly authentic main square, where people dined on wooden tables under a string of electric light bulbs. Men with mustaches out of an 1880s barbershop photo grilled souvlaki on an open grill. Olden men drank coffee at a small café. All was framed by whitewashed buildings and churches. You knew instantly that this was no Disneyesque version of a Greek Isle overrun with drunken American and European backpackers, but the real thing. We would take long walks on paths through olive groves and hire fishermen to drop us off and pick us up at deserted beaches. Tilos is another island where the locals, still unaccustomed to tourists, greet you as if you lived there your whole life. A place where one picks fresh figs off the tree and finds deserted medieval castles that request no admission fee. If you want to find an authentic Greek isle away from the masses, 
Another part of the world I know exceptionally well are the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prince Edward Island, where I try to return at least once a year. Drive Cape Breton and you feel like you’re in the Scottish Highlands, cruising atop scenic bluffs, 
Judging from the amount of driving routes