the state of new york

Posted on May 23, 2018

We prefer to travel in our mammoth along national roads. At least for now. As you can see here , as soon as we crossed the border into the United States, we immediately made a stop at the service station and continued along the national road in the state of New York.
In just over 100km we realize that New York is much more than a city. The state is incredibly beautiful.

We walk along the road with lakes keeping us company from village to village. We saw ports, a church, a bookstore, a gas station and the occasional deli in each village. And so we slowly headed south.

We stopped in Elizabethtown, where the film of the same name was inspired, and asked for a place to eat in the next village: Westport. We wanted to go there because we had read that there was a small party and in the absence of the Agonia pilgrimage, that was what was arranged to kill homesickness.

In Westport we were recommended a deli, the cafe had 3 tables, we parked at the door and went in for a late lunch. We took the opportunity to use the internet at the bookstore opposite and spent our time watching the life of a village where everyone knows each other.

We heard that there were fireworks that night. We couldn't miss it, at 9 pm we headed towards the party and the last rocket was bursting, we missed the show. Even so, we can still see what is typical of a local party in the USA: animals, merry-go-rounds and food stalls with pizza, dogs, lemonade and a delicacy that we regret not trying: fried oreos.

We slept in the van outside the library. The first night out of a parking lot. We woke up, went back to the Deli for some toast and coffee and headed to the local beach. We released the Dune that ran free for the first time in more than 30 days. The truth is that although Canada is considered one of the best countries to live in, we get the feeling that there are many rules and that it is often better to put a sign saying: “no fun!” We can't let the dogs out, swim in the lakes, run in many of the parks,…

Even before lunch, we went out to visit some of the many magical places in this state. The first stop was the venue for the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. And in summer it becomes a holiday resort with hotels that in winter cater to snow lovers to show their warmest side. There is no shortage of options for places to stay: Crown, Hilton, ...

The roads point us towards a trail course and promise us incredible views, we ended up surrendering to one at Blue Lake. And even the Dune jumped into the water. How I miss the silence.

We continued our way to Indian lake, the sun had already set and we wanted to be at dinner time in a quiet place. We went to a dinner perhaps the only one in the place, with the name Indian Lake Tavern. The atmosphere was incredible, the menu had exactly what we were looking for: chili, Mac and cheese and puree. Upon entering the restaurant we felt like we were in a movie, everyone knew each other, they sang the songs that passed, they played billiards,….

We went back to sleep in front of a library and set off in the morning down the Caterskills.
But it rained, rained, rained! We passed the route we wanted to do on foot and the rain didn't let up. We even went to Woodstock. But we moved on to our next point: closer and closer to New York.

We arrived on the banks of the Hudson River very close to New York. As we approached, the traffic intensified and the rain did not let up.

We headed closer to the stonecrop gardens, where we would go first thing in the morning. On the way we felt the dune very agitated, we looked and saw a mother deer with her calf. We took some pictures they seemed used to being famous. Gone was the quiet of the Caterskills and state lakes.