Finally, as the close of day saw the end of our time on the road, so did a bitter wind blow the autumn leaves from their branches. “Winter is coming” may be old parlance by now, but it still feels true in our little corner of the Champlain Valley.

Yet not all winter winds portend disaster, and as we drove down Route 100 we looked forward to chilly days with friends at Sugarbush Ski Resort in Warren. Established in 1930, it’s one of the older ski areas in the state. In 1958 a three-seat gondola was installed, at that time the longest in the country.

The seasons are still in transition here, and the branches seem to be nearly crying out for snow.

Continuing south, we passed businesses more suited for summer than autumn, and promised ourselves we would go tubing as soon as the ice melts. On this scenic route we pass Granville, Hancock, Rochester, Stockbridge, and Pittsfield, all sleepy towns with a rich and personal history of their own.

One of the greatest things about Shoreham in the summer and fall is the ferry from Vermont to New York State (we will admit to spontaneous dance parties as we cross). This marks the beginning of Route 74, the closest route to our farm and a familiar one indeed. Shoreham itself is a small town with an impressive roster of politicians, from Ansel Briggs (the first Governor of Iowa) to Columbus Delano (United States Secretary of the Interior in the 1800s), and many other Congressmen from the past century.

And that, friends, concludes our local road trip. We couldn’t resist the history that imbues each of our streets with gravitas, and the foliage was certainly an added bonus.