A Jaunt Through Upstate New York

Walking through Selkirk.

Being the girl who considers Westchester upstate New York, I've never really ventured north past Croton Point (Niagara Falls doesn't count). So when Josh offered to take me to his hometown of Selkirk, New York, I literally jumped at the chance.


Bear Mountain Bridge by way of the Metro North.

Taking the MetroNorth to its last stop in Poughkeepsie (where Westchesterites believe true upstate New York starts) was enthralling because while I've read about the Hudson up there from Boyle's book, I've never really seen it. Going past Bear Mountain Bridge was nice because it brought back memories of my first camping trip.

In Poughkeepsie, Josh and my friend Kayley were waiting for me. From Poughkeepsie, we drove approximately 70 miles back to Selkirk because it was cheaper than taking the Amtrack all the way there.


Hudson River and unknown bridges in Selkirk.

Selkirk is in the middle of nowhere, which isn't necessarily a bad thing—it's just something I'm not used to. You need a car to get to and from places, and once in a while, this can be nice. After we stayed up all night watching random TV shows, Josh and I trekked through chained fences and overgrown with his adorably playful dog Kiara. Our destination? The Hudson River (of course) next to an unknown freight bridge and yacht club. Watching the sunrise here was gorgeously calm and perfect.

I wasn't tired at all.


Downtown Albany.

Then it was back to the house to wake Kayley up, take quick showers and then we were off to explore some part of upstate New York. Our original plan was to find the Lake Tear of Clouds, the official source of the Hudson River but being in the depths of the Appalachians and only a weekend to do so, we decided to save it for next time. Instead, Josh took us on a tour of upstate, driving us past downtown Albany where I judged it solely based on its architecture and the signs prohibiting bike-riding and horseriding in the streets and driving along that wonderful river. Driving through Troy, we found ourselves near Peebles Island, which became our next destination.


Peebles Island, the Hudson and the Mohawk (I believe).

Peebles Island is at the junction of the Mohawk River, the Hudson River and the Erie Canal, situated at Waterford, New York. Parking the car next to what appeared to be an empty-factory-or-warehouse-now-converted-to-offices, we crossed over the clean-cut North Bridge to see what's there. We didn't find much--just people maintaining their boats, older gentleman wandering around with his camera and a much older man tanning on his boat. To indulge our wilder-sides, we crossed the bridge back and wandered down to the river. We walked as close to the shore as we could, but sometimes, the bushes blocked our ways. No matter, we sauntered our way, climbing over fallen trees and examining abandoned garbage. We found upstate creatures—daddy long-legs, toads and lots of spiders, Kayley's favorite, haha. We reached the end of the river (I'm not sure which, I'm thinking it was the Mohawk) and weren't able to continue on because of the dead end. After sitting around and throwing rocks and logs into the water, we climbed to the top of the cliff above us and walked back to the car.


The end of our path.

Later, that night, we watched Superbad at an Albany supermall with Josh's high school friends. Already hyped for the movie because of the magnificently amazing Michael Cera (who I already declared as my pretend awkward boyfriend—watch him in Arrested Development and Superbad and you will understand why), I wasn't disappoint. Though the film was more geared towards high school humor, Apatow's humor still translated. Best scene? Cera attempting to have sex with his high school crush and everything he drunkenly mumbled ("Samsies!").


Saratoga Lake.

After Kayley left, Josh and I spent Sunday at Saratoga Lake, where we rented a boat. Rowing on the lake was a big change for me since I'm more used to the currents of the rivers (especially that crazy Hudson River), but it was a nice change. The leisurely row was perfect since the skies were cloudy yet the air was humid. Sometimes, the sun would break through, making for a nice picture.


First-time driver, baby.

Then, in the parking lot in between Josh's middle and high school, I drove a car. Finally. After 22 years of never being behind the steering wheel, my unlicensed and un-driver's-permitted self learned how steer a car (kinda like steering a boat) and drove around in circles, speeding up when I dared to. There were two little girls riding around on their pink bikes, so I was sort of scared about killing them, but I didn't.

And then, after stopping at Josh's home, it was back to Poughkeepsie and the Amtrack back south to New York City.


Selkirk skies.