As for your fall foliage travels, I mentioned the same exact thing to my DH when I was watching the news on VT, ME, etc...many of those antique towns are wiped out...and the fall foliage brought tourists and was their only revenue for many of them...it is really sad..so much history lost that can never be rebuilt. I too would try to map out a route and then start contacting AAA, AARP travel, and the chamber of commerce for those towns you want to visit and see what info you can find. Of course you know from TX up through MO things are already turning due to the extreme heat we have had!