Many of us put a lot of miles on our vehicles doing the work we do in rural communities. Here’s an outline of the circle I made yesterday: I started out in old DeKalb (near Gouverneur on this map), drove to Potsdam (via a convoluted back roads route because of lengthy construction delays on Route 11), then on to Route 11B and Nicholville, where I cut over to Santa Clara, Paul Smiths and over to Saranac Lake and then Lake Placid. First appointment completed, I went back to Saranac Lake, then to Tupper Lake, and followed Route 3 to Wanakena. Second appointment completed, I continued west on Route 3 to Route 58, and from Gouverneur back to DeKalb. That’s a big circle.

I have a few friends who refuse to own a car, even in the north country. But their work and daily life commitments never require more than 10-15 miles travel–doable on a bicycle.

I was born and raised in Manhattan–great subway and bus access. The lack of effective, affordable (and economically viable) public transportation options is one of the few negatives about living in a rural area. At a minimum, a more extensive local public bus system and–big dream here–a reclaiming of the passenger rail system that used to service the Syracuse to Plattsburgh corridor would be wonderful. Here’s a link to an interesting organization that addresses the challenge of rural transportation.

Here are a couple of photos of where I went, who I saw yesterday…

In Lake Placid, I met up with Sarajane DeHoff, who is active in a variety of Adirondack cultural and community groups, and Cali Brooks, the executive director of the Adirondack Community Trust–with whom NCPR partners on several projects.

Cali Brooks and Sarajane Dehoff–in the middle of Lake Placid. Okay, we may not have subways in the north country, but we sure have beautiful places for meeting venues.

In Wanakena, I went with Kristin Rehder to see her exhibit, The Way to Wanakena, on display at the Wanakena Ranger School through the end of the month.

Kristin V. Rehder, in Wanakena.

Back to regional transportation…

Any ideas about how we can get around more efficiently…more efficiently than each of us driving everywhere in our own personal cars? Any stories about how you or your friends and colleagues have found ways to beat the one person/one car equation?