In the daydream of your daily commute, perhaps you’ve caught yourself noticing the colors that line the road.
“The foliage this year is the best I’ve seen in several years,” said Fran Platner, of North Granby.
A symphony of colors, hugging both the rivers, roads and rails brings added appeal to businesses in the Connecticut River Valley this time of year.
“It’s very important because we do the business. It’s a beautiful town, it’s a beautiful place to visit now, see the leaves,” said Iso Dedushaj, owner of East Haddam’s The Gelston House.
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Across the bank and further down the tracks, there’s another entity that’s seen a spike in ridership this fall.
“They’re having a good time and you can’t beat that synergy and that’s what we’ve had all season,” said Kevin Dodd, president and CEO of Essex Steam Train and Riverboat.
The Essex Steam Train operated at full capacity for the first time in a couple of years, and among those aboard Engine No. 40 this season was Platner and Carla Thornton.
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“It is a fun part of Connecticut down here,” Thornton said.
Platner's been on foliage rides in Essex and up in New Hampshire, so she knows her leaves.
“Foliage here is just as beautiful as it was up there,” Platner said.
But with the influx of customers, both The Gelston House and Essex Steam Train have grappled with a different sort of challenge.
“It’s been very hard. No one wants to work,” Dedushaj said.
Normally, Dodd’s able to run both the train and the Lady Katherine riverboat up and down the river, but this year was a different story.
“We opted to keep Lady Kate closed this year because finding enough people consistently to make sure we can provide the experience that people expect from us, we couldn’t guarantee it,” Dodd said.
Despite the labor shortage, Dodd said it’s been a positive fall. Now, his focus shifts to holidays as they gear up for their busiest time of year.
“We’ve got to take those two weeks in November to get everything ready for Christmas," he said.
Dodd said tickets for the North Pole Express have already sold out for this holiday season.
