On The Road

 Rod Serling, the guy who created 'The
Twilight Zone,' was from upstate New
York.
  That fact came to mind after noticing
a couple of strange things as we headed
out on the road this week.
   It was 'top down weather' so we pointed
the Miata north into New York choosing
to use back roads wherever possible.
  The Empire State offers some
spectacular scenery. We found much of
it along Route 20 which is an east/west
highway with Albany on the eastern
end.
  The New York State Thruway, just
to our north, heads the same way.
   It's 'limited access' and higher speeds
seems to make it the choice of most
motorists.
   That became apparent to us as we
got hungry!
    A friend recommended a diner in
a small town along the way. We had
no trouble finding it. It looked
nice enough. But we quickly found
it had one thing in common with many
other restaurants and food stands on
the highway. It was closed!
   I guess, like the old  'Route 66',
New York's Route 20 isn't as busy
as it was 'back in the day.'
   But it still offers that beautiful
scenery we were seeking.
   Like that covered bridge we
spotted! We love covered bridges.
   So we pulled the Miata off of the
paved highway onto the narrow
dirt road leading to the historic
and romantic span from days
gone by.
   We had actually started to
cross when we noticed the
sign. Hand crafted above a half
dozen mailboxes set up on the
bridge was a notice that
'Tresspassing Beyond This
Point was Forbidden!"  It
included a warning that those
who proceeded ran the risk
of being 'Held until Law Enforcement
arrived!"
   Given the rural nature of this
environment and the lack of
general traffic on this stretch of
Route 20 it seemed possible to
us that 'Law Enforcement' might
take weeks to arrive.
   Since we already had reservations
at our destination we felt it
advisable to back out, turn around,
and continue our journey before
any of those mailbox owners could
apprehend and 'hold us' indefinitely!
   It wasn't until we turned around
that we noticed two  'For Sale signs'
that seemed to be for properties on
the other side of that bridge!
   We wondered if any potential
buyers had gone on beyond our
stopping spot and might currently
be held somewhere near or at the
property they were seeking.
   Perhaps they're stuck there
forever..in The Twilight Zone?
   At least we got to visit the
covered bridge. If its owners are
reading this I'd like to appologize
for the intrusion and tell them I hope
all their, and your, NEWS is good!