Fours weeks ago I went out to Manchester, New Hampshire for the Young Democrats of America Convention. I took the rural state highway route one way out there, and then I took the Masspike back. I was pleasantly surprised to find the Blue Highway route was the superior route.

Either way you go it takes about 4 hours with breaks to go from my house in Westerlo out to Manchester. Yet, only one way pleases the senses, lets you see America, and have a pleasant drive. It’s taking the back roads. It simply is more enjoyable to go that way.

You start out on Route 7 heading through Brunswick, then Peterstown, then finally off to Bennington. You wind through hilly farm country, then after Bennington you start to climb into the Green Mountains National Forest. The forest was snow covered, and it was beautiful – a real pleasure on the eyes.

You wound back and forth along the Molly Stark trail, but there was few small towns, spread out by quite a distance. In the early morning, there was little traffic, and whatever there was you could easily pass on the ample climbing lanes throughout the the trail. Brattleboro emerged and you climbed into small town, with a lengthy commercial stretch. If you don’t need to stop at McDonald’s use to the restroom, then take I-91 to bypass the ugly strip.

From there, it’s off to New Hampshire – the Live Free or Die state. You can now unbuckle your seatbelt now that you here. As the sign says entering New Hampshire: Seat Belts Required 18 and Under, Use Common Sense. It was refreshing and liberating to be able to choose whether or not I wanted to wear my own seatbelt on my own behalf. Too often we are told what to do.

I headed up Route 101 which twisted it’s way North-East towards Manchester. There where commercial strips, and a large reservoir the road worked it’s way past. It seemed almost as though many of the speed limits of 30 MPH where excessively slow – one could easily have driven much faster without putting anybody at risk.

Past Keene, Route 101 turned into a Super-2 highway, a undivided highway with two lanes and no at-grade intersections. It went on for about 10 miles before turning into suburban road, leading into the suburbs of Manchester. From there, it's a very short hop on the Everrett Turnpike and your in Manchester.

I went home the alternative way. I took the Everrett Turnpike south to Massachusetts' I-495, then down to Worchester, and out to the Masspike back to Albany. This way not only was not pretty, it also was an additional 100 miles back to Albany. It cost an additional $15 dollars when you add gas and tolls in, and took nearly the same time to get back.

So the moral of the story is take the Blue Highway. Explore new places, and sometimes you'll even find the blue highway is the cheaper and more sensible way to go.