Hudson Valley Adventures, Part 2: The Roads of Upstate New York
After driving the upstate New York's Taconic State Parkway in the height of fall foliage season a few weekends ago, I think I have a new favorite road.
The Taconic State Parkway is a (generally) four-lane highway on the east side of the Hudson River, traveling between Westchester County and the northern end of the Catskill region. It winds up and down hills and mountains, and passes farms and brooks and reservoirs, with nary a city in sight.
And even in the height of foliage season, on a spectacular Sunday afternoon in October, there wasn't much in the way of traffic.
Laurie took all the pictures in this post, so no worries; I wasn't negotiating curves and trying to take pictures while going 60 miles per hour.
Some sights along the roadside:
And my personal favorite, a bridge crossing the Croton Reservoir that came up so suddenly, we were fortunate to get any pictures at all.
I can only imagine what that view is like when it gets close to sunset.
Two things I wouldn't advise doing on the Taconic: (1) driving it at night, because it appears there are no lights or reflectors whatsoever, and (2) driving it with a low fuel level. That's one of two service areas on the entire Taconic. Both are now defunct. Even the infrequent exits on the parkway, with a few exceptions, seem to leave you off more or less in the middle of nowhere.
Some other scenic upstate roads we got to experience on that gorgeous weekend after Columbus Day:
Route 10, going through Hobart, a tiny town in the western Catskills that's been rejuvenated as a "book village." Of the town's perhaps eight stores, four are excellent used bookstores, which was a dream come true for book lovers like the two of us. You won't see any Kindles in Hobart.
To get from Hobart to our motel in Saugerties, we crossed east on Route 23, which climbs to and then descends one of the summits of the Catskills.
Awesome.
The view through the sunroof, Laurie's new best friend. The car doesn't need to have an engine or a transmission or even brakes. Just give her a sunroof.
The Taconic State Parkway is a (generally) four-lane highway on the east side of the Hudson River, traveling between Westchester County and the northern end of the Catskill region. It winds up and down hills and mountains, and passes farms and brooks and reservoirs, with nary a city in sight.
And even in the height of foliage season, on a spectacular Sunday afternoon in October, there wasn't much in the way of traffic.
Laurie took all the pictures in this post, so no worries; I wasn't negotiating curves and trying to take pictures while going 60 miles per hour.
Some sights along the roadside:
And my personal favorite, a bridge crossing the Croton Reservoir that came up so suddenly, we were fortunate to get any pictures at all.
I can only imagine what that view is like when it gets close to sunset.
Two things I wouldn't advise doing on the Taconic: (1) driving it at night, because it appears there are no lights or reflectors whatsoever, and (2) driving it with a low fuel level. That's one of two service areas on the entire Taconic. Both are now defunct. Even the infrequent exits on the parkway, with a few exceptions, seem to leave you off more or less in the middle of nowhere.
Some other scenic upstate roads we got to experience on that gorgeous weekend after Columbus Day:
Route 10, going through Hobart, a tiny town in the western Catskills that's been rejuvenated as a "book village." Of the town's perhaps eight stores, four are excellent used bookstores, which was a dream come true for book lovers like the two of us. You won't see any Kindles in Hobart.
To get from Hobart to our motel in Saugerties, we crossed east on Route 23, which climbs to and then descends one of the summits of the Catskills.
Awesome.
The view through the sunroof, Laurie's new best friend. The car doesn't need to have an engine or a transmission or even brakes. Just give her a sunroof.