The last 2 days are just glorious with the top temp being about 18 degrees. How quickly one thinks of 18 being warm. Only a couple of weeks ago we would have been thinking how cool 18 is. Our trip south to Massachussets takes us to the widely recommended historic town of Deerfield which is a fullly functioning town of 5000 people but which looks like an 18th century English settlement - very quaint and very beautiful.

As we travel south, my attention is drawn to a passing New Hampshire number plate with its slogan "Live free or die". No more needs to be said!

Each day so far we have brought stuff with us to have a picnic lunch somewhere along the road, followed by a coffee somewhere. That sounds pretty easy to do at home, but here there is a total absence of roadside rest areas let alone toilets. We arrive in the town of North Adams, another college town which boasts a proud heritage of hard working immigrants and was in its heyday a properous mill town. Now the mill site boasts the world famous Mass MOCA (Massachussets Museum of Contemporary Art. We stop at the local info centre to ask if there is a park where we could eat our lunch. Somewhat bemused, the girl working there has to think very hard before suggesting we go around the corner to the almost deserted Heritage Park as "no one much goes there & there are seats outside" she thinks. So we do and in fact we visit the Heritage Centre and look around at their excellent historical display. Here it is 1pm and we are the first visitors of the day! Needless to say, the young lady working there is very happy to chat with us.

Now in Great Barrington, our home for 4 nights is a real splurge as we check into Wainwright Inn, a huge Victorian manor home now used as a B&B. Our hosts Marja & Robert Tepper greet us warmly into this beautiful house and show us to our 3rd floor room & ensuite complete with period furniture. Corridors, staircases and lots of little alcoves are quite confusing when we return from a walk and we try to open a door which we are sure is our room but isn't. We have just used the wrong staircase!

Tonight's dinner is at Allium, another Lonely Planet recommendation. The writer must have been there on a good night as tonight the service is very poor. Brad nearly died of thirst waiting for a beer! We think that perhaps some trouble has been brewing behind the scenes in the kitchen and our waitress is a bit peeved about something. Small tip tonight! A simple roast chicken & veg satisfies us but tomorrow we vow we will try somewhere else.

Thursday 18th: We sleep like logs in our comfy king sized bed and only awaken with the sound of passing traffic. For breakfast we are served fresh pineapple, followed by a waffle with blue berries, strawberries & rockmelon with a side of bacon - small serve fortunately. Of course maple syrup was there for the topping so when in America, we do as the Americans do........just this once!! It is 0 degrees this morning with a promise of 18 so we hit the road to explore the Berkshires of Massachussets & upper New York state. Our drive through the hills takes us through tiny villages & byways adorned with the most brilliant display of colour so far. As we head south, the red leaves are much more showy than in the northern states of Vermont and NH where the fall season is just about over. Being such a beautiful day we decide to do some walking at the Bish Bash Falls. The falls aren't big but the walk down is supposed to be very beautiful. We arrive at the car park and see the sign to the trail & lookout which we dutifully follow. The lookout is easily reached but the trail down to the falls looks a bit obscure. All we see is a steel fence with steel ropes going down into the valley. No set path - just pick your way wherever you can...... so we do. Talk about bish bash falls! After half an hour or so of bush bashing, we reach the bottom only to find that it is't the trail at all. The proper trail starts on the other side of the car park! While the falls themselves are a bit of a disappointment, we have had our workout for the day. Coming back up the hill, we decide on the easier option of the proper trail. At the end there is a sign telling us that it is now hunting season (for archers only) and to make sure we are wearing colourful clothing so we can be seen clearly. Now we find out!!

Tonight we decide to eat at the very funky cafe Gypsy Joynt where the pasta and salad dishes are served in aluminium bowls resembling dog dishes but we should have shared the pasta as it is huge! All the food is sourced locally & cooked fresh on the premises. A bluegrass singer is performing tonight as we arrive and he entertains us with his original music. Our drinks are served in jar shaped glasses (see pic). Excellent food and very cheap - we will be back.