I think we just crossed a mountain range.

Let me recap, assisted by Wikipedia:
We followed route 206 past Walton over Bear Spring Mountain to Downsville, then route 30 along and across the Pepacton Reservoir, and route 28 to Margaretville. From there we drove east towards Hudson River and entered the Interstate 87 direction New York City. Yes, I think we have crossed the Catskills.

The Pepacton Reservoir is one of the large water reservoirs for New York City, in the Catskill Mountains. There used to be a few small towns, farms and communities down there somewhere, but not anymore.

One doesn't get much of an impresson of a mountainrange like the Catskills from pictures, especially when they're taken at or close to the roads. Being there and having 360 degree view is something completely different, but not even that is enough when one wants to know an area like this.

The Catskill Mountains are not for passing through, one should really spend a few days or even weeks in the area – preferably walking into the hills and mountains. We only had time for short stops here and there along the roadside.

I liked the Catskill Mountains and would liked to spend time here at different times of the year to see what the area is really like. Great and varied nature in the area, and people were friendly here – especially on the west side of the range.

end of the journey.

Going down Interstate 87 on our way back home to Pearl River, NY, on a Sunday afternoon. The Toll stations are there, and the traffic became heavier as we got nearer to New York City. We are home again.

The next day (july 2.) we returned the RV to the rental service in New Jersey, and that marked the definitive end for our 3 week trip around in the New York / New England area.

a few comments now that we've left the road.

the journey was fine.

The journey across New York / New England turned out fine, but I wouldn't have minded if the journey had lasted much longer. We had to pass too many interesting places and spend too little time in each area without really having time to explore, and this lack of time was the only negative side with trying to cover such a large area in only 3 weeks.

Twice that long wouldn't have been too long for me, but I'm not sure if my traveling-companion could have taken that much time off. Since this was my first visit to the USA, I appreaciated having an American on board on such a journey. I think Ron got something positive out of it too.

for the future: being able to take it more slow and see more places, and really spend time on exploring, experiencing and – most important – relaxing, will be high on my agenda for another cross-country journey. I guess that means I'll have to plan even less in advance for my future journeys, and leave more to chance. I'll probably also have to go at least parts alone since I don't think any of my friends can find the time for long-lasting journeys like the ones I'd like.

the recreational vehicle (RV) wasn't road-worthy.

The RV from <don't cruiseamerica.com> however was a real disppointment. The contraption wasn't built for the road – any road, only for short transport-stretches between campsites and long stays on each site. That's probably fine for many users, but was not what I had rented an RV for. Be sure; I declared my intentions before renting anything, and was assured the vehicle was perfect for such a journey. It was not!

I don't like drawers and cabinet-doors that won't stay shut unless you tie them up with ropes or whatever is at hand. It was one of the minor problems we had with this contraption, but having ones stuff thrown out of cabinets and drawers and being crushed on the floor while driving on ordinary American highways, simply isn't fun. Haven't they heard about gravity?

Lesson learned: I'll have to make sure I get a road-worthy vehicle the next time I want to go on the road anywhere in the US. It'll probably be a smaller one – for practical reasons, and I'll have to look for a serious RV rental – inside or outside USA.

Maintenance was poor for an RV's intended use, and service to correct things while on the road concisted of long delays and poor to no action. We lost at least 2 days because of such delays, and it was completely unnecessary since all problems were caused by poor maintenance and a “we don't give a shit” attitude. I don't know; maybe this level of service is good enough for Americans, but it certainly isn't for Europeans – especially not a quality-minded Norwegian traveler.

Another lesson learned: not to trust any written or unwritten part of a deal unless dealing with a serious and quality-minded business. Do you know of any? <don't cruiseamerica.com> certainly doesn't fit the bill no matter how one twists and turns it. A $100 refund doesn't quite cut it either, but at least I got one.

To be fair: I'm not sure if the RV rental I used this time is worse than average. The problem is probably that “average” isn't very good in this field. Whether this is a uniquely American or a more universal problem, remains to be seen. I'd like to go on similar journeys in the future, where I can investigate the issue further – hopefully without having so many frustrating problems with the vehicle.

Georg

July 1st - 2nd.

about:

On vacation in the Northeastern United States, early in the summer of 2007.

recreated:

relations: