I went to Blithewold thinking it would be a quick stop. I stayed way longer than planned. This keeps happening to me and I am starting to think it is not a coincidence.

Boston spring finally showed up and I went outside immediately and stayed there. A Friday walk through the Arnold Arboretum at peak cherry blossom season that turned into way more than a quick stop.

Not every fall season is a showstopper. Vermont in 2025 was quieter than usual. But it was still Vermont in the fall, which means it was still beautiful in ways that are hard to explain to someone who has not driven those roads in October.

Fall in New England was not its best self in 2025. I went to New Hampshire anyway. Early mornings on the Kancamagus, fog over the mountains, and one tourist interaction that made me feel like a true New Englander.

Some places just have you. South Padre Island has had me since I was a kid. I got married there. Returning in June 2024 with a camera felt like coming home all over again.

Boston in early spring does this thing where it gives you one perfect week and then takes it back. Magnolia season is that week.

I made a classic rookie mistake and drove the Kancamagus Highway during peak fall foliage season. I would do it again without hesitation.

There are fall drives and then there is Crawford Notch in early October with fog sitting low over the mountains. They are not the same category.

If you are driving through Franconia Notch in October and you do not stop at The Basin, I need you to turn around. I know that sounds dramatic. I stand by it.