Many people enjoy going on vacations to exotic locations such as the ocean or the high peaks of the Adirondacks. I’m quite happy going on extended weekends to Plattsburgh or Schoharie County. Neither of these places are quite exotic to visit, but are quite satisfying at many levels.

I enjoy getting away from the city and not going some place crowed or highly desirable by many people. I like being in the woods, and I like driving along empty, twisty roads, bordered by farms, rivers, mountains, and the alike.

The small cities and towns are inspirational. You feel that there is still a community left in these places, where people still know their neighbors, and where there is still a connection to the land. Farms surround the cities, often with fields and stock brushing against the towns.

People are proud to live in these places; they display their flags with pride. They are friendly, and prices tend to be cheap at local stores. There is culture, and a local life, beyond the concrete and steel of the big city.

I wish I could spend more time there. But for now, a few snaps of the camera will just have to make do.