Grand Fall Tour: Empire State Autumn by Rail
October 5-14, 2010
Tour from $3099.00
Everyone has heard of the beauty of fall in New England.
Fewer people know of the grandeur and autumn colors of upstate New York:
the Adirondack, Catskill and Shawangunk Mountains and the beautiful Hudson
River Valley. Our Grand Fall Tour takes us to all these areas, combining
six train rides, two cruises and travel on our private motorcoach through
the fall color. Railroad travel features two routes on Amtrak, two routes
on the
Adirondack Scenic Railroad, and a
charter on the
Delaware & Ulster RR through the heart of the Catskills and
over Highmount Summit in a vista-dome streamliner. We also cruise on
Raquette Lake in the Adirondacks and on the Hudson River past the
mansions of Hyde Park.
Attractions
include the wonderful
Adirondack Museum (with a collection of lake boats,
Adirondack furniture and art); historic
Camp Sagamore (an Adirondack great
camp); and the new Wild Place nature museum in Tupper Lake. Multi-night
hotel stays include two nights at the Golden Arrow Lakeside Resort in Lake
Placid with lakefront rooms on Mirror Lake,
two nights at the
Minnowbrook Inn and Conference Center (built in the Adirondack great camp
style) in the Adirondack Mountains on the shores of Blue Mountain Lake,d three
nights at the fabulous
Mohonk Mountain House in the Shawangunk Mountains
above the Hudson River valley.
The ADIRONDACK at Plattsburgh
Additional attractions and many included
meals make this a truly special program, escorted by RTC General Manager
Carl Fowler (who grew up in this area).
NOTE: This is a
moderately active tour. To fully enjoy this program, participants should
be able to climb a flight of stairs and walk at least a quarter-mile
during several of the sightseeing trips.
Please join us for fall color and
scenery you may not have expected to find in this “not quite New England”
state. All aboard!
Day One, Tuesday, October 5. Independent arrivals.
Tour participants arrive
independently in Albany NY by rail or air. Our included hotel for this
evening is the downtown Crowne Plaza Albany Hotel. The airport is about 7
miles northwest of Albany; the Amtrak station is at Albany-Rensselaer just
a couple of miles from downtown. The hotel provides free transfers on-call
from both the airport and Amtrak.
Day Two, Wednesday, October 6 (B,D) Amtrak’s ADIRONDACK; to Lake Placid.
The ADIRONDACK near Westport
 In
mid-morning we transfer to the fine Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station and
board the
ADIRONDACK for the scenic ride to Plattsburgh NY on America’s
oldest continuously incorporated railway, the
Delaware and Hudson (D&H),
as it winds north deep into the Adirondacks. Our route takes us along the
shores of Lake Champlain and on cliffs above the water. From here we can
see autumn color in New York and Vermont as well as historic Fort
Ticonderoga on the New York shore. Optional lunches can be purchased on
board. The ADIRONDACK route recently was proclaimed one of the ten most
scenic train trips in the world by National Geographic Traveler magazine.
The ADIRONDACK on Willsboro Bay
Upon arrival in Plattsburgh, we board our chartered
motorcoach and drive into the High Peaks region of the Adirondack
Mountains to famous Lake Placid. Here we stay two nights at the
Golden
Arrow Lakeside Resort, located on the shores of Mirror Lake. Our Welcome
Dinner is here tonight, and breakfast is included each morning we are at
the hotel. The hotel includes a full-service health club, racquetball
court, indoor pool, sauna, whirlpool, and steam bath. Also included are a
restaurant, deli, internet café and coffee bar, and a nightclub with
dancing.
Day
Three, Thursday, October 7 (B,L) High Falls
Gorge; Adirondack Scenic Railroad.
This morning we visit High Falls Gorge before returning
to Lake Placid for free time and an included luncheon at The Great
Adirondack Steak & Seafood Company. After lunch we ride the Adirondack
Scenic RR round-trip to Saranac Lake on a route originally served by the
Delaware and Hudson and New York Central Railroads.
 Until
the late 1960s, direct service with sleepers ran to Lake Placid from Grand
Central Terminal in New York. The line served both the 1932 and 1980
Olympics, then lay dormant for 20 years before restoration by the
volunteers of the Adirondack Scenic RR. Lovely views of the peaks mark the
route. We return to Lake Placid later in the afternoon.
Day Four, Friday, October 8 (B,L,D)
Wild Center; to Blue Mountain Lake.
We drive to Tupper Lake
to visit one of the newest attractions in the Adirondacks: the wonderful
new Wild Center which features an ice wall, indoor trail exhibits, live
animals, outside trails, films, and observation towers to further acquaint
us with the natural history of the area. Lunch is included in the museum
cafeteria.
 We
then re-board our motorcoach for the drive to Blue Mountain Lake and the
Minnowbrook Inn & Conference Center, located on the shore of the lake,
arriving in mid-afternoon.
Stay at Minnowbrook, a living "Adirondack Great Camp"
Minnowbrook (which is
operated by Syracuse University) is a hidden treasure of the Adirondacks.
Built on the model of an historic Adirondack great camp, this 28-acre
retreat is a multiple building complex with an enormous variety of
activities including boating, canoeing, an exercise room, a health and
fitness center, hiking, and swimming.
 Less
strenuous activities include badminton, board games, cards, horseshoes or
just relaxing in front of the fireplace. Breakfast and dinner are served
here daily (family style). Rooms are contained in several two-story
buildings with all the conveniences (but no elevators).
Day
Five, Saturday, October 9 (CB,D) Adirondack Museum; Adirondack Scenic RR.
After breakfast
we drive to Blue Mountain Lake, location of one of the best small museums
in the U.S. The
Adirondack Museum has something
for everyone: a history of logging and mining in the area; a wonderful
exhibit of guide boats, canoes and sailing craft; art, photography and
folk art; a private railroad car; and unique Adirondack furniture
(including wonderful rocking chairs to try out). This museum is a true
“hidden treasure”, called “the best of its kind in the world” by the New
York Times! Lunch is included here in the cafeteria.
 We
then continue on to Old Forge, where we make another trip on the
Adirondack Scenic RR, traveling round-trip to Otter Lake before returning
to the Inn for dinner.
Day
Six, Sunday, October 10 (CB, Brunch) Camp Sagamore; W.W. Durant brunch cruise.
Following breakfast, we travel to Raquette Lake and tour
Great Camp Sagamore, an1897 “great camp” built by W.W. Durant and owned by the Vanderbilts. Buildings toured here include the bowling alley! We
drive to Raquette Lake and enjoy a wonderful brunch cruise and narration
on the re-created lake steamer
“W.W. Durant”.
Our cruise includes viewing the famous “Adirondack Great Camps” owned by
the rich and famous (including Andrew Carnegie and Collis P. Huntington,
builder of the Southern Pacific RR) during the Gilded Age. We then drive
to Utica and overnight at the historic Hotel Utica with dinner on our own.
Day Seven, Monday, October 11 (CB,D) Amtrak
from Utica to Croton-Harmon; Mohonk Mountain House.
Following
breakfast this morning, we Amtrak for the ride
south along the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers to Croton-Harmon. We begin with
a lovely ride along the north shore of the Mohawk, with frequent views of
the Erie Canal. Leaving Albany we enjoy a beautiful route along the east
bank of the Hudson.
The New York Central’s “Water
Level Route” was home to such legendary trains as the EMPIRE STATE EXPRESS
and the 20th CENTURY LIMITED. This is fast track! Our train will reach
speeds approaching 110 mph, yet the scenery overwhelms any realization of
the quick pace. Never leaving the shore, the line offers vistas of the
Catskill Mountains, West Point, and Storm King and Bear Mountain. En route
we pass Bannerman Castle, a partially destroyed armory with a distinctly
Gothic appearance; stately mansions; and lighthouses.
At Croton-Harmon we re-board our motorcoach for a drive
past the United States Military Academy at West Point and over supremely
scenic Storm King Drive. From the heights, we can admire the grand gorge
of the Hudson as it courses through the Highlands between the Ramapo and
Taconic Mountains. Our motorcoach takes us up the steep grade into the
Shawangunk Mountains and our destination for three nights, the
incomparable
Mohonk Mountain House. All meals (and afternoon tea) are
included during our stay.
Day Eight, Tuesday, October 12 (B,L,D)
Free day at Mohonk.
We try to personalize our
tours, and the Mohonk Mountain House is one of our very favorite places.
This is the only tour on which we include a three-night stay here! For
those of you who have been here with us before, no description of the
property is necessary. For the rest, we will attempt to describe what
awaits. The hotel estate was purchased by the Smiley brothers in 1869 and
remains in their descendants’ hands today. This Quaker family has created
a resort that is in tune with the environment and one of the most peaceful
places imaginable. The National Historic Landmark Victorian-era hotel is
set on a lake surrounded by thousands of acres of forest on top of a
mountain ridge. All bedrooms have either a lake or mountain view. In
addition to the Victorian gardens, 128 gazebos dot the property, allowing
walkers to sit and enjoy lovely views. Except for arrival and departure,
no motorized travel is allowed. Movement is on foot, by boat, by horseback
or by carriage.
Vista of the Catskill Mountains from the Mohonk
Mountain House by Carl Fowler
Activities include tennis, golf, boating and fishing,
horseback riding, carriage rides, and hiking or walking on miles of roads
and trails running throughout the property. Trails vary from level paths
to strenuous hiking. There are programs or movies each evening. Other
activities include visits to the garden, greenhouse, barn museum, stables
or blacksmith shop. A fabulous spa and indoor swimming pool were
constructed in 2005, and there is a quiet lounge serving alcoholic and
non-alcoholic beverages. The hotel itself is filled with lovely Victorian,
Edwardian and Craftsman furniture, with many quiet alcoves and fireplaces
available for conversation, reading or napping! It also includes a
library, ice cream parlor, TV rooms, and a long covered porch lined with
rocking chairs overlooking the lake…a great place to enjoy afternoon tea
and cookies. Limousine service down the mountain is available for a fee to
enjoy attractions in the Hudson River Valley such as the Huguenot Houses
in New Paltz or Hyde Park, home of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt.
Day Nine, Wednesday, October 13 (B,L,D)
Catskill Mountains; Delaware & Ulster RR.
We
temporarily depart our mountaintop retreat, travel up the Hudson, and
drive into the famous Catskill Mountains. We have a very special treat to
start our day: a chartered ride and luncheon on the vista-dome
RIP VAN
WINKLE FLYER on the Delaware & Ulster RR. Originally this was the mainline
of the Ulster and Delaware RR, which brought Victorian tourists to the
mountains. Direct parlor car services operated on the crack RIP VAN WINKLE
FLYER from as far south as Philadelphia. The U&D merged in the 1930s with
the New York Central.
 Passenger service ended in 1953 and freight service
in 1976, but the heart of the line is revived for us on a route that
starts just below the 2000-foot summit, boarding at Arkville and includes a lovely run
along the headwaters of the Delaware River into Roxbury. We return to
Arkville with time to view the D&U’s museum and historic equipment .
Lovely foliage should be on display during this ride.
The "Rip Van Winkle Flyer" through the Catskills
This afternoon, Mr. Fowler shows us some of his favorite
places in these ancient mountains, which were the setting both for the
first resort hotel in America (the Catskill Mountain House) and the story
of Rip Van Winkle. This area also was a favorite of the Hudson River
School painters. Alternatively, participants can opt out of today’s
activities and spend another day at leisure at Mohonk.
Day Ten, Thursday, October 14 (B,L) Hudson River scenic cruise; tour ends.
Our
leisure time at Mohonk continues through lunchtime today. We then make a
short drive to Kingston, the capital of New York State at the time of the
American Revolution. When Kingston was burned by the British during the
war, the capital was moved elsewhere; but its importance as a steamboat
and railroad center grew. This afternoon we enjoy a Hudson River cruise on
the “M/V Rip Van Winkle”, sailing south past the mansions of Hyde Park.
Distant vistas reach from the Catskill Mountains to the Litchfield and
Taconic Hills on our beautiful voyage. We then continue north by motorcoach to Albany, where the tour ends. Participants are dropped at the
Albany-Rensselaer Amtrak station by 6:00 p.m. and the Albany airport by
6:30 p.m. In addition, we have an optional post-tour night available at
the Albany Crowne Plaza Hotel for $150 (inclusive of tax) single or double
occupancy. The hotel offers departure transfers to Amtrak and the Albany
Airport the following day.
TOUR
PRICES include all hotels, meals and attractions noted as included above;
chartered motorcoach, rail and boat transportation during the tour;
baggage handling; and the services of a full-time escort. Other meals,
independent sightseeing and items of a personal nature are not included.
Please note several of our hotels on this tour are entirely non-smoking.
$3099.00 per person, double occupancy
$3499.00 single occupancy
Conditions and Booking Information (the fine
print)
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