<p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">The Blue Ridge Parkway is a fall foliage fave.</p></div><p></p></div></div>There's something about fall that makes people want to get outside and experience nature. </span></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Instead of suffering through another round of apple picking in an orchard that's been plucked dry, check out these essential American road trips, where you can see the fall foliage in all its glory.</span> </p><h3><strong>Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina and Virginia</strong></h3><p><span>While beautiful year-round, this is a fall foliage fave (for its epic dogwood, sourwood, sassafras and poplar), and might even get packed during the autumn months. The 470-mile parkway goes from North Carolina's Great Smoky Mountain National Park to Shenandoah National Park and Virginia's Skyline Drive, passing through dozens of beautiful hardwood forests, Appalachian mountain towns, pristine lakes, pastoral highlands and hot spots like Asheville. It's also an All-American Road, and America's longest linear park.</span></p><h3><strong>Blues Highway (US Route 61), Tennessee and Mississippi</strong></h3><p><span>Blues, and more specifically the Delta Blues, is a part of American history, as well as culture, originating in the so-called Deep South. Starting in Memphis, it's the perfect trip for soaking up blues - from the clubs on Memphis' famous Beale Street to Clarksdale, Mississippi, where guitarist Robert Johnson allegedly made a deal with the devil - with a side of legendary barbecue. While US Route 61 spans 1,400 miles from New Orleans, Louisiana, to Wyoming, Minnesota, it can be broken up into Bluesy bites.</span></p><h3><strong>The Pacific Coast Highway (Route 1), California</strong></h3><p><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-288922823/stock-photo-the-pacific-coast-highway-is-a-spectacular-coastal-drive-between-los-angeles-and-san-francisco.html?src=oyWfTjSamGbnsVJYdEPO4g-1-3">Shutterstock/Scottt13</a></span></p><p class="caption">The Pacific Coast Highway might not scream fall, but it sure is stunning.</p></div><p></p></div></div></strong></p><p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Quintessentially American, the famous PCH, aka Route 1, snakes across California's coastline - from LA to San Francisco - for over 600 rugged, cliff-flanked miles. Not designated an "All-American Road" for nothing, while fall colors might be sparse, Americana abounds in the form of boardwalks, beaches, quaint seaside towns and old-fashioned amusement parks. Even better, the trip can easily be broken down into smaller trips, like San Francisco to Santa Barbara, or historic Monterey to Big Sur.</span></p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Route 66, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California</strong></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Of course, no list of US road trips would be complete without Route 66, the "Mother Road" and icon of the American Dream. The route was discontinued, but you can still migrate West by sticking to the various Interstate Highways that have replaced it (like the I-55 from Chicago, or the I-70 from Missouri) or by sticking to those National Scenic Byway portions renamed "Historic Route 66." Stopping by quirky roadside attractions is a US road trip staple, and this route's got plenty of those, like the famous Cadillac Ranch or the Blue Whale of Catoosa</span></p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Green Mountain Highway (Route 100), Vermont</strong></h3><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/gingi0</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Vermont is the holy grail of autumn colors in the east as it is almost 80% forest. In fact, local newspapers even track the foliage. This 220-mile route dissects almost the entire state, meandering across sloping mountains, dipping valleys, green pastures, farmlands and forests, all ablaze in shades of yellow, orange, and red. Partake in cider tastings and apple picking in rural villages and old-fashioned general stores, and nosh on local fare like Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Cheese and Lake Champlain Chocolates. In the winter, it's known as part of "Skiers Highway," which connects some of Vermont's most well-known ski resorts, like Wilmington, Killington, and Stowe.</p><h3><strong>Million Dollar Highway (US Route 550), Colorado</strong></h3><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Shutterstock</span></p><p class="caption">One of America's most scenic drives is also one of its most dangerous.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Colorado's fall is so incredible it even has its own name: Indian summer. The aspen trees are a fiery red, orange and yellow this time of year, but the main draw of this 20-mile route is that it climbs more than two miles above sea level across the Ouray Mountains, connecting Silverton and Ouray, two legendary and historic gold mining towns. The breathtaking road (both in altitude and sights) is part of the San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway, and frequently listed as both one of the most scenic routes in the states, and one of the most dangerous, as it winds across three high-mountain passes with steep cliffs, hairpin curves, and no guardrails.</span></p><h3><strong>High Peaks Scenic Highway (Route 73), New York</strong></h3><p>The Adirondacks have one of the longest fall foliage seasons in the country, and Adirondack Park, which is criss-crossed by various New York State Scenic Byways, including the High Peaks Scenic Highway, even covers six million acres, making it the largest wilderness area east of the Mississippi. In fact, it's bigger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier, and Grand Canyon National Parks combined, and boasts 3,000 lakes and ponds, 2,000 miles of hiking trails, and 1,500 miles of waterways. The 30-mile High Peaks Scenic Highway is often considered the park's gateway, and meanders through the High Peaks, which includes 46 mountains that are taller than 4,000 feet, most notably Mount Marcy, which is 5,344 feet.</p><h3><strong style="line-height: 1.5em; color: #000000;">Overseas Highway (US Route 1), Florida</strong></h3><p><span style="font-weight: 400;"><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Sathish S/Flickr</span></p><p class="caption">The Overseas Highway is said to feel like you're floating across the ocean.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Those that aren't quite ready to switch their iced coffee for pumpkin spice lattes should head to Florida, Sunshine State and land of eternal summer. The 113-mile Overseas Highway is one-of-a-kind, flanked by the Atlantic Ocean on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other, connecting mainland Florida with Key West, and the 100 islands of the Florida Keys with 42 bridges and causeways. As kitschily American as it can get, the route features classic gift shops and old school burger shacks peddling milkshakes to a stunning backdrop of beautiful beaches and sparkling water.</span></p><h3><strong>Lake Superior Circle Tour, </strong><strong>Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin and Canada</strong></h3><p><span>The greatest Great Lake, Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake (by surface area), and you can circumnavigate it </span><span>via its 1,200-mile shoreline, which features a series of highways (like Highway 61, Highway 28, and the Trans-Canada Highway to name a few) that will have you crisscrossing three states (Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin) as well as Canada. You'll feel oceanside thanks to near constant water views due to the lake's size, and will come across waterfalls and wildlife, lighthouses and cliffs, shipwrecks and 200-foot sand dunes.</span></p><h3><strong>Olympic Peninsula (Route 101), Washington</strong></h3><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Flickr/sbeebe</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Starting in Seattle, you can drive 350 miles across the northern coast of this<span> 3,600 square mile peninsula of </span>still untamed wilderness. You'll be traversing rain forests and alpine forests, rugged ocean fronts and beautiful waterways and snow-capped mountains and glaciers, literally crossing through different ecosystems and jaw dropping vistas at every turn, while stopping for hikes, like Hurricane Ridge at Olympic National Park, or Lake Crescent's Marymere Falls.</span></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/china-abandoned-eastern-island-2015-7">This abandoned Chinese island shows what the world might look like without humans</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="I2M2RndjosXm8VL4fbzK63gmuLVmFiGc" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

10 iconic US road trips you should take right now

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://commons.wikimedia.org/">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></p>
<p>In "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/A-Dictionary-Surnames-Patrick-Hanks/dp/0192115928">A Dictionary of Surnames</a>," Patrick Hanks and Flavia Hodges have laid out where early last names come from and what they mean. Through research into genealogy and linguistics, they found the bulk of European surnames were formed in the 13th and 14th centuries as societies became more bureaucratic and began collecting taxes.</p>
<p>Early last names fall into a few major categories of origin. Many began as nicknames.</p>
<p>If your last name today falls into this category of name, you could theoretically learn something about the personality or appearance of one of the very first people to share your name. For example, a town that had several people named "John" might have started calling one of them "John Beal." "Beal" comes from "bel" - fair or lovely - and could refer to someone handsome.</p>
<p>Names didn't have to come from nicknames. Variations of people's occupations, a distinguishing geographical feature near their homes, or a version of their mother's or father's first name could also become their last name.</p>
<p><span>Last names that originated from nicknames are a particularly interesting category, though. Sometimes they were even based on negative traits, but Europeans rarely changed them once they officially went on record. During the period that last names were being adopted, people accepted their new last names as their God-given names. </span></p>
<p><span>Indeed, you may have a last name that originated from somebody ribbing one of your ancestors or making a comment on their appearance. </span></p>
<p><span>While names from a number of European languages originated from nicknames, below we have broken out only English last names and their likely corresponding meanings, </span>as determined by Hanks and Hodges.</p>
<h2><strong>A</strong></h2>
<p>Arlott - vagabond, rascal; Ayer - an heir to a title or fortune</p>
<h2><strong>B</strong></h2>
<p>Back - someone with a hunched back or peculiarity; Bairnsfather - father or alleged father of an illegitimate child; Barfoot - someone who went about his business, peasant; Bass - nickname for a short man; Bastard - nickname for an illegitimate child; Bay - nickname for someone with chestnut or auburn hair; Bayard - reckless; Beake - person with a prominent nose; Beal - handsome (from <em>bel</em>: fair, lovely); Bear - nickname for a person who has a mix of strength and amusement; Beard - wearer of a beard; Beauclerk - "fair clerk"; Beavis- nickname for an affectionate address; Bee - energetic or active person; Belcher - someone with a fair and lovely face; Besson - a twin (from <em>bis</em>, twice); Bevin - nickname for a wine drinker (from <em>beivre</em> to drink; <em>vin</em> wine); Biss - someone with an unhealthy complexion; Black - a swarthy or dark-haired man; Blacklock - someone with dark hair; Blake - another variant of <em>blac</em> that sometimes meant pale, white, fair; Blanchflower - ironic name for a man of feminine appearance; Blessed - a fortunate individual; Blewett - a habitual wearer of blue; Bligh, Bliss - a cheerful person; Blunt - someone with fair hair (from <em>blund</em>), a stupid person (from <em>blont, dull</em>); Boast, Boggis - a boastful man; Body - corpulent; Bold - bold, courageous; Bonney - handsome; Bonser - from <em>bon sire</em> good sir, given to a fine gentleman either ironically or seriously; Bowler - a heavy drinker; Bradman - broad, well built man; Breakspear - a successful warrior or jouster; Breeze - an irritating person; Brisbane - from <em>to break</em> and <em>bone</em>; probably used for someone crippled by a broken bone; Broad - stout; Brown - someone with brown hair; Buck - a man who resembles a goat; Bull - large, aggressive man; Bunker - reliable; Burr - a person who is difficult to shake off (from <em>bur</em>, a seed head that sticks to clothing)</p>
<h2><strong>C</strong></h2>
<p>Cain - a tall, thin man; Cannon - someone living in a clergy house; Cardinal - someone who acted lordly and patronizing; Carless - carefree; Catt - from the animal; Chaff - bald; Chance - a gambler or someone who had survived an accident; Child - someone considerably younger than his siblings; Chopin - a heavy drinker; Cock - a natural leader; Cockayne - an idle dreamer; Cocker - a bellicose person; Coley - a swarthy person; Comley - a handsome man; Coney - rabbit; Converse - a Jew converted to Christianity; Corderoy - proud; Couch - a red-haired man; Counsel - a wise or thoughtful man; Cousin - familiar; Crisp - a man with curly hair; Cruise - bold, fierce; Curtis - a refined person</p>
<h2><strong>D</strong></h2>
<p>Dain - important person; Dark - someone with dark hair; Devin - nickname of either ironic or literal application of <em>devin, divin</em> excellent; Dick - a stout, thick man; Doe - a mild and gentle man; Doggett - nickname with abusive connotations; Dolittle - a lazy man; Dormer - a lazy man, (from <em>dormire</em> to sleep); Doughty - powerful or brave; Dowling - stupid person, (from <em>doll</em> stupid); Drury - nickname for love; Ducker - nickname derivative (from <em>douke</em> to dive, plunge); Duke - someone who gives himself airs and graces</p>
<h2><strong>E</strong></h2>
<p>Eagle - a lordly, impressive or sharp eyed man; Elder - distinguishing name bestowed on the older one of a group</p>
<h2><strong>F</strong></h2>
<p>Fair - beautiful; Fairfax - someone with beautiful, long hair (from <em>feax</em>, hair, tresses; Faith - a trustworthy person; Farrant - someone with gray hair; Fay - someone with supernatural qualities, (from <em>faie</em> or fairy); Fear - a sociable person (from <em>feare</em>, comrade companion); Fiddy - son of God; Figgis - trustworthy or reliable; Fillery - illegitimate son of a monarch; Finch - from the bird, which in the Middle Ages had a reputation for stupidity; Fitt - polite; Foot - deformity of foot; Fort - strong; Fowle - someone resembling a bird; Frost - someone with an icy disposition or with a white beard or hair</p>
<h2><strong>G</strong></h2>
<p>Gain - crafty; Gale - cheerful person (from <em>gaile</em> jovial); Gallop - rash; Game, Gammon - merry or sporty; Garnon - someone with a mustache; Glew - cautious or wise; Godson - the godson of an influential person; Golfinch - nickname from the bird; Golightly - a messenger; Good - good; Gooden - someone who often uses the salutation "good evening"; Goodfellow, Goodfriend - congenial person; Grace - pleasant; Gray - someone with gray hair; Green - someone who liked wearing green; Grubb - small; Gulliver - greedy</p>
<h2><strong>H</strong></h2>
<p>Hand - someone with a deformed hand; Hare - a swift runner; Hart - nickname meaning stag; Hasard - a gambler; Hoare - an old man</p>
<h2>K</h2>
<p>Kay - a left handed man; Kedge - brisk, lively, (from Swedish <em>kack,</em> meaning bold or brisk); Keech - unflattering nickname for lumpish person; Keene - fierce, brave, proud; Kidd - frisky person; King - someone who conducts himself in a kingly manner; Knott - a thick or not shapely person</p>
<h2>L</h2>
<p>Lamb - a meek or inoffensive person; Lark - a merry person; Lawless - an unbridled and licentious man; Lawty - a trustworthy person; Lever - a fleet footed or timid person (from <em>levre, </em>meaning hare); Levett - nickname for wolf; Light - a happy or cheerful person, someone busy and active, someone small; Lipp - someone with large lips; Little - a small man; Littlefair - nickname for small companion; Littley - someone with small eyes; Loach - nickname from a small fresh water fish; Long, Longfellow - a tall person; Lord - someone who behaves in a lordly manner; Lovatt - nickname meaning young wolf; Lovelace - a philanderer; Lovell - nickname from <em>lou, </em>meaning wolf; Lovelock - a dandy; Lovely - an amiable person; Lyon - a fierce or brave warrior</p>
<h2>M</h2>
<p>Mallory - an unfortunate person; Mann - a strong or fierce man; Marvel - a person considered prodigious in some way, could be ironic; Master - someone who behaved in a masterful manner; Maufe - an untrustworthy person; Miskin - a young man, probably to distinguish someone from an older person in the same family; Monk - someone who looks like a monk; Mutton - a gentle but unimaginative person</p>
<h2>N</h2>
<p>Need - an impoverished person; New - a newcomer to an area; Newbold - someone who lived in a newly constructed dwelling; Newcombe, Newman - a new arrival in a place; Nightingale - someone with a good voice; Noel - someone with a connection to the Christmas season; Noon - a bright and cheery person</p>
<h2>O</h2>
<p>Odam - someone who has done well by marrying someone with a rich daughter</p>
<h2>P</h2>
<p>Pace - mild mannered person; Palmer - someone who had been on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land; Pardoe, Purdy - nickname from someone who often said <em>par Dieu</em> (by God/for God's sake); Parent - a parent or related to someone important in the community; Parslow - nickname from <em>passer, </em>meaning to cross; Pedley - a stealthy person; Penny - nickname from the coin; Pettifer - a tireless walker; Pettit - a small person; Pickerell - a sharp and aggressive person; Pinch - a chirpy person; Plenty - nickname for abundance; Pollard - someone with a large or unusually shaped head; Postle - nickname short for apostle; Pratt - a clever trickster; Prior - an immediate subordinate to an abbott; Puddy - someone rotund; Puttock - nickname for a greedy person</p>
<h2>Q</h2>
<p>Quail - nickname from the bird, for a timorous, lecherous, or fat person; Quant - a person admired for good sense or skill or regarded as cunning or crafty; Quarry - a thickset man; Quick - a lively person</p>
<h2>R</h2>
<p>Raggett - someone whose appearance is unkempt; Raison - an intelligent person; Ram - a forceful or lusty person; Read - a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion; Revell - a boisterous person; Rich - a wealthy man; Root - a cheerful person; Rouse, Rudd, Rust - a person with red hair or a ruddy complexion; Rump - nickname for a person with a large behind; Ruth - nickname for a charitable person</p>
<h2>S</h2>
<p>Sadd - a serious or solemn person; Saffer - a greedy person; Saint - a notably pious individual; Samways - a stupid person; Sarson - someone of swarthy appearance; Savage - a wild or uncouth person; Scaife - an awkward or difficult man; Scarfe - someone resembling a cormorant, a type of bird; Scull - a bald man; Sealey - a person with a cheery disposition; Selman - a happy or fortunate man; Senior - a peasant who gave himself airs and graces; Sharp - keen, active, quick; Shear - a beautiful or radiant person; Sherwin - swift runner; Short - a person of low stature; Silver - a rich man or someone with gray hair; Snell - brisk or active person; Snow - someone with a pale complexion or very white hair; Sowden - nickname for sultan; Speak - nickname from a woodpecker; Sparrow - a small chirpy person; Spire - a tall, thin man; Spratt - a small and insignificant person; Squibb - a sarcastic person; Stack - a large well built man; Stagg - nickname from the male deer; Steel - someone considered hard or durable as steel; Stout - a brave or powerful man; Strong - a strong man; Swift - a rapid runner</p>
<h2>T</h2>
<p>Tabard - a wearer of a long sleeveless coat of heavy material; Tame - a quiet and gentle person; Tempest - someone with a blustery temperament; Thewlis - an ill mannered person; Thrussell - nickname from the bird, probably given to a cheerful person; Thumb - someone with a deformed thumb; Titmus - a small person; Todd - someone thought to resemble a fox in some way; Treacher - a devious person; Tripp - someone with an odd gait; Trunchion - a short, fat man (from <em>thronchon, </em>meaningpiece broken off of); Turk - a rowdy or unruly person; Twigg - a thin person</p>
<h2>U</h2>
<p>Uncle - a man who is an uncle to someone</p>
<h2>V</h2>
<p>Vaisey - a cheerful person (from <em>enveisie, </em>meaning playful, merry); Venture - a bold person; Verity - a truthful person; Viggars - a sturdy person; Virtue - a pious or good person; Whale - an ungainly person; White, Whithead - someone with white hair; Widdow - a widow or widower; Wight - strong-willed or brave; Wild - nickname someone of violent and undisciplined character; Wise - a wise or learned person; Wraith - someone with a violent temper</p>
<h2>Y</h2>
<p>Yule - nickname for someone who was born on Christmas Day</p>

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