Another perfect sunrise, another crisp morning – this time with ice on the car for the few moments until the sun hit it. We farewelled our little caravan and the Autocamp. Such a great concept and very glad Andrew found it.
We had 6+ hours of driving today, and headed West from Saugerties and followed Esopus Creek through the Valley before heading up and over Pine Hill. It’s pretty country with rolling hills and little towns dotted along the way. We noticed that many of the towns referenced ‘…kills’ – seemed creepy until we learned that the area had a strong Dutch influence in the early days, and kille referred to the streams.
This is the part of a country you only get to see on a road trip. Places like Walton, Greene, and Whitney Point with 5000 people or less that somehow seem stuck many years ago. The school buses, diners, grocery store, dentists, attorneys, USPS post office and many churches are in every town and must be just enough to keep the town ticking over. The houses seem to come straight off a movie set – they all seem similar greenish colour, have a porch, very few have fences, and I’m sure the screen door would catch as it swung open!
The road signs are also fascinating for their slightly different descriptions. ‘No outlet’ = dead end, ‘Yield’ = give way, and highway signage is all numbers. Some of those signs look more like a lotto draw! I also like the visualisations of the tractor, horse and wagon, and then the ultra modern school bus!
We stopped in Ithaca to grab lunch, known for Cornell University, one of the 8 Ivy League Unis. It’s unclear whether it was a Google maps error, or deliberate ploy to remind you what puts the town on the map, but we entered town through the Uni. It’s also known for its many waterfalls, so we headed for a short hike though Buttermilk falls to break the day. Pretty spot, again, Spring is just starting to peek through.
Leaving Ithaca it’s a short drive North, and then on to the very long and straight highway 90 – part of the NY Thruway. The road clearly has one job – to get stuff and people East-West. Speed limit is 65 mph but the average speed would have been 80ish, there are few entries and exits, little advertising, and over 70 miles between drinks at one point! Even fuel is a no fuss affair with self serve swipe to pay.
Final stop, just over the Canadian border into Niagara Falls. The falls are a beautiful natural feature that looked so majestic in the afternoon sun…
…and then you turn 180 degrees to see that the town of Niagara is a bit like an overdone Surfers Paradise. What an unexpected contrast! It really has just left us wondering ‘Why???’?
We’re looking forward to seeing them up close tomorrow, and getting out to some of the surrounding towns 🙂
Love M and theGrady
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