Wanderers in Wonder

Finally learned to avoid the ‘Parkways’ of the Northeast. Construction of these roads began in the 1920’s. They were designed for the auto-owning public, aka the uber wealthy of that day. These ‘Great Gatsbyesque’ elites could motor from The City to their estates and manors on the North and South Shores of Long Island (LI), the LI Sound homes of Southern Connecticut (CT) and the Jersey Shore homes. These parkways had low bridge underpasses, wide tree lined medians and grass and tree lined buffers between the communities and businesses beyond the parkway’s shoulders. They were designed strictly for automobiles…no trucks or busses…Merritt Parkway in CT, Northern State and Southern State Parkways on LI and the Garden State Parkway in New Jersey (NJ).

These Parkways were the inspiration for David Rockefeller’s Carriage Roads in Acadia National Park.

NY political power broker of the ‘30’s, ‘40’s, 50’s and 60’s, Robert Moses, utilized the same type of Parkway construction for the Meadowbrook and Wantagh Parkways…gateways to the marvelous white sandy beaches of the LI South Shore. No buses full of NY State Citizens of Color from The City on his beaches. Only Anglos from the burgeoning all white communities of post-World War II LI would enjoy his white sandy beaches.

So, we made our left turn at our eastern terminus in Maine mindful of Parkways and low bridge issues. There we were on NY 85 driving through the old cities of Troy and Albany minding our own business. Into Voorheesville and bam low crossing 10’ 6”. We are 12’ 5”. The warning sign was fifty feet from the bridge with traffic already funneled into a very narrow two-way road, no way out. I dial 911. We unhook the Jeep with traffic backing up and up and up. We get the Jeep off the road by backing up with a good citizen stopping traffic for us. The local constabulary shows up, stops traffic so I can reverse the bus a hundred feet, back into a driveway and turn around onto the highway and into a big Fire Department parking lot…made the local traffic news.

Officer Rayburn gave us directions to Thompson Lake State Park, our home for a few days.

Indian Ladder Farm, down the road from our Thompson Lake camp, was special. Great locally sourced lunch. Vegatarian BLT for me. Mushrooms turned into bacon, delicious. Music, berry picking, lively crowd, great fun.

Peace…Wanderers in Wonder.