The Catskill Chronicle

Story and Photos by Carol Montana

When I first moved to the Catskills a little over – well, let’s just say it was a long time ago – I marveled as the leaves turned shades of scarlet, crimson and yellow. There were colors I had never before seen – at least not on trees.

I had migrated from Long Island, a lovely place for sure. But Long Island didn’t have the same climate that the Catskill Mountains had. It doesn’t get quite as cold down there. And there’s just something about the crisp autumn weather in the mountains.

A memory that has stayed with me for many years had its birth during that first year of my residence, at the top of Columbia Hill in Hurleyville. As I drove from Monticello to Loch Sheldrake on Old Liberty Road, I reached the top of the hill, and there, spread out before me in all it’s glory was autumn in Sullivan County. The colors!! Oh my goodness, the colors!! Hues and shades and contrasts that literally took my breath away. I gasped. I stopped the car (safely). I gazed, awestruck, at the panorama. Surely, no one else had ever seen such majesty. This was all for my benefit. Boy, did I feel special.

Of course reality set in as I descended the hill. It wasn’t just for me. It was here to be shared. And share it I did. Whenever relatives wanted to visit, I encouraged them to come in the autumn – Columbus Day weekend specifically. And we would go for rides around the county and surrounding areas, enjoying the colors.

Flash forward to 14 1/2 years ago when I got married. My husband Ken enjoys car rides as much as I do. So just about every year – even when gasoline hovered near $5.00 a gallon – we go for what we call our Annual Fall Foliage Ride. This year was no exception. And actually, we took our ride just in time, because the next day it snowed.   

And here’s another thing that hasn’t changed. I’m still sharing the autumn colors. This year, I’m sharing them with you.

To view more photos or to purchase prints from No Better Place in the World visit the Chronicle on Zenfolio.