Did you get the fall foliage newsflash? The hills and valleys surrounding the headwaters of our own Connecticut River are among the first places in the country to light up with color, at the far north starting in mid to late September.

If you’ve never visited the headwaters of the Connecticut River, it’s a five-hour journey into a rolling landscape where fall colors are only one source of interest.

It’s at the end of the U.S. road map, if not exactly the end of the road. There, the Connecticut River starts at Fourth Connecticut Lake, a one-acre pond at elevation 2,670 feet. It’s accessible only on foot, about 900 feet from from Chartierville, Quebec, and a half-mile from the nearest U.S. road.

It’s hard to believe a little pond is the genesis of an 11,000-square-mile watershed. It’s a bit easier to comprehend 400 feet downhill at scenic (and much larger) Third Connecticut Lake, at elevation 2,200 feet. There, people fished from small non-motorized boats as morning sun brought balmy temperatures and caused steam to dance on the lake surface earlier this month.

As we traveled south (and downhill) on Route 3, the Second and First Lakes added to the cascade. Dams control both lakes’ outflow, the first two of 16 dams on the main part of the river. For more Connecticut River facts, click here.

As for that other source of local color, the people seem to know how to keep it light.

At Third Connecticut Lake, we saw walkers wrapped in towels on their way to the clothing-optional beach.

At the Canadian border crossing at Rt. 253 in Canaan, Vt., for instance, a road sign points one way to Maine, the other to Florida. (The Straw Man in Wizard of Oz couldn’t say it better.)

In the hamlet of Pittsburg, N.H., the town hall still displays a symbol of its eight years (1832-1840) as the independent Indian Stream Republic. The motto “Live Free or Die” took on a personal meaning for certain individuals after a visit from the local militia, when the chief member of the Republic scrammed.

We crossed the official 45th parallel marker at Stewartstown, N.H., and learned we were equally distant from the North Pole and the equator.

We visited Young’s General Store, where they sold “generally everything.” Nearby, the sign for Big Bucks Road invited speculation.

The trip offered what all good travel does: Plenty of eye candy, some laughs, and lots of brain food.

Final note: According to several sources, peak foliage will be a bit later this year than last. Find interactive foliage forecasts and maps at NewEngland.com and depdata.ct.gov.

Enjoy the journey!

Kathy Connolly writes and speaks about land care, landscapes and horticulture. Contact her through her website, SpeakingofLandscapes.com.