We rise early – Woodstock still asleep – eventually she shakes her head and appears in the form of two incompetent and cranky breakfast assistants in a local cafe – the bacon and eggs barely tolerable and the coffee only a crude and unpleasant caffeine delivery mechanism.
Woodstock – pleasant enough – I was at Woodstock (40 years late!)
Sun shining - we head into the Catskills. Churches – white with square wooden bell towers mounted by shingled spires - Lush grasses preened to lush lawns fronting hide-a-way wooden houses - Hills, elm trees with dense understoreys, small mountains, lush grass, elm trees, hide-away houses nestled in bush, elm trees, a cluster of birch, an occasional blue spruce, a small village and a church with bell tower and shingled spire, more elm trees, a small lake, more hills, a small farming community, red-ochre wooden farm buildings some standing proudly – many leaning like an old man suffering the aches and pains of old age and neglect, another hide-a-way with grass preened to lawn, more elms, another cluster of birch, another hide-a-way, more even more magnificent elm trees, another village and another church, another small pond, an occasional cluster of maples, another small farming community, more hide-ways, more elm trees, more villages – summer paradise! – come winter? – perhaps Florida might be preferred!
New Blenheim – not that new – what a bridge – why covered bridges? –
the real reason for covering timber bridges was to protect the main timber trusses from the detrimental affect of rain/snow ........... rot.
Eventually join the interstate I90 and make rapid progress towards Rome – cross the famous and infamous Erie Canal – “I've got a mule, Her name is Sal, Fifteen years on the Erie Canal. She's a good old worker and a good old pal........ “ - the canal - a sad remnant of its magnificent past – no sign of “Sal” and no barges in sight – neglected locks rust away serving little more than as a monument to days gone by.
We enter Rome – never huge but historically important – the place of early trade interactions with the indigenous – now her long history as a goods transfer hub between the river systems of upper New York State seems to have been forgotten – she is dying away just as the Canal has died – population has been in steady decline since the 1980s – now only 34,000 - the road trains hurtle past on the turnpikes that only barely acknowledge her existence - she resembles a dying city with dour, unexciting streets and tourist attractions that seem uninviting. Her county airport is now closed down and host local police training – the receptionist at the motel seems to think that the casino is now the major employer.
We enter the bar at the hotel – experienced travellers should be concerned about empty bars and restaurants - terrible drinks – atrocious food - When in Rome do as the Romans do – eat in and give the restaurants a miss.
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