Highland,New York to Jamaica, Vermont

North up the west side of the Hudson River on a mild morning, stopped at park on the river with fine views.

Signboard for the Hudson River Greenway Water Trail, stretching 150 miles of slow moving river – tidal way up - to NY City with designated camping along the way, would be a great way to see the river.

Also photos of the once busy brick making in the area that supplied brick for NY City back in the day, now all gone.  There was a time when we made everything, and real things – bricks, steel, shoes, machinery -  in this country and lives and communities were supported by that, now mostly gone, leaving behind dying towns across the landscape.

Wound around Saguraties, funky old downtown buildings some ready for a used book store/coffee shop,  big old Catholic church with cemetery on the hill, lots of folks resting peacefully on the high ground above the Hudson.

Across the Hudson on a high bridge at Catskill then north on 66 and 7 through farmland – still corn and soybeans – along the Berkshire Mountains, tail end of the Green Mountains, beautiful countryside with leaves just beginning to turn.

with a handful of incongruous wind turbines on the hilltop,

to Williamstown, home of Williams College.  We had hoped to visit the Clark Art Museum but, once again, closed on Monday, so after lunch in the nice, small, civilized New England downtown, drove north into Vermont on Hwy 8 and 100, narrow road through Heartwellville, Searsburg, past Mt Snow ski area through rolling country

a building with the widest eaves I've seen

many simple churches, including one with a copper clad steeple

to Jamaica, home of my dad's sister and many relatives before her to the very early 1800's.

 Across an old bridge

 into shadows to Jamaica State Park, picked out a campsite,

 then over the hill to Rawsonville for a reunion with my aunt, uncle and several of the cousins, Vermonters through and through.  A sweet evening – perhaps blood really is thicker.  Back in the dark to the campground, pitched the tent and warmed the cold night with a fire under the Vermont stars.