Traveling Upstate for Trees, Trails and Apple Cider

Let's put the debates about what counts as Upstate New York aside. Or, hey, why not include them for a taste of the local culture?!

Lured by promises of rivers, forests, rolling mountains and hiking trails, we left "the City" at the end of August and caught a bus to a rural hamlet. Here's a picture of the trestle, the town from the town and the trestle from the town, in that order.

The place delivered on all counts. Right next to a scenic trail that stretches for many miles in each direction, a short walk into town (a real Main Street with a few dozen buildings) and worlds away from last month's urban bustle.

Early fall brought baskets of apples to the local farmer's market and regaled us with sweet apple cider.

The contrast between this month and last is the most striking between any of our two stops so far. Just compare these pictures to the previous post.

Now we've tested our new shoes in the concrete jungle and the woods. This would've been a nice place to spend early fall, to watch the leaves change and enjoy the harvest. But we've got plans. Plans that will have us traveling all night just to get to...