Looking for Autumn: The Laurel Highlands
My wife and I went looking for autumn this past weekend, and we found it in the Laurel Highlands. What a beautiful place, and only 2 ½ hours away. Located is Pennsylvania southeast of Pittsburgh, I mostly knew this region through the signs we saw on the Pennsylvania Turnpike on our way to somewhere else. We visited the outskirts of the area on a trip to Ligonier two years ago and fell in love with the place. This year we jumped head first in the heart of the region. The main artery through the Laurel Highlands is Route 40, better known as the National Road. This was the first federally funded road built around 1811 beginning in Cumberland, Maryland, to all points west. The toll booth is still there. Although parts of Route 40 are now freeway, the old road is maintained for those looking for scenery instead of speed. As beautiful as Route 40 is, the true heart of the Laurel Highlands is State Route 381 (merging into State Route 711 north to Ligonier), and its smaller tributary roads, wh...