After three trips to Europe in 12 months, I decided it was time to give my wife a trip to the east coast of our country to see the fall colors. This was something she had talked about for years, and I found the idea rather appealing as well. She planned the itinerary. I booked the hotels, and splurged a bit. This is a trip that we may only do once, so why not really enjoy it? We flew into Albany, New York and stayed in Lake Placid a couple of nights. We ferried across Lake Champlain and entered Vermont and then on to New Hampshire. Then we briefly crossed into Maine to exchange rental cars in Portland. Finally, we spent the last few days in Massachusetts getting to know Boston while a major rain storm passed through. The eleven day adventure was fun, beautiful, educational, and relaxing. The combination of experiencing beautiful scenery, deepening our understanding of our history, and taking in the subtle cultural differences made for a great vacation.