Route 28: A Mile by Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route [Paperback]

Rob Scharpf (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1998

Discover the fun and adventure awaiting you on New York's Route 28. From Kingston to Cooperstown, the Catskills to the Adirondacks, and Woodstock to Warrensburg, Route 28: A Mile-by-Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route helps you easily find: Airplane Rides, Amusements, Antique Shops, Art Galleries, ATMs, B&Bs, Baseball Hall of Fame, Bicycling, Boat Rentals, Boat Rides, Cabins, Campgrounds, Canoeing, Car Service, Cross-country Skiing, Equipment Rentals, Fishing Access Sites, Food Markets, Gas Stations, Golf Courses, Gun Shops, Hiking Trails, Horseback Riding, Hotels & Motels, Ice Cream Stands, Kayak Races, Libraries, Miniature Golf, Mountain Biking, Movie Theaters, Museums, Opera, Parks, Performing Arts, Picnic Areas, R/V Parks, Rest Areas, Restaurants, Shopping, Ski Centers, Snack Bars, Snowmobiling, Soccer Hall of Fame, Specialty Shops, Tackle Shops, Theaters, Tourist Information, Train Rides, Tubing, Water Slide, Whitewater Rafting, ...and more!

Route 28: A Mile-by-Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route:
- is the only guidebook devoted exclusively to New York's route 28.
- helps you find more than 2,400 restaurants, hotels, B&Bs, resorts, hiking trails, ski centers, canoe rentals, campgrounds, golf courses, fishing spots, snowmobile trails, boat and airplane rides, museums, antique shops, shopping, gas stations, ATMs, and much more.
- reveals little-known places and long-forgotten facts about a uniquely beautiful and diverse road to adventure.
- is a practical directory to virtually everything of interest along the 282-mile-long road.
- includes coverage of popular and well-known tourist destinations including Woodstock, the Catskill Park, Cooperstown, the Adirondack Park, Old Forge, and much more.
- contains explicit travel directions exact to the tenth of a mile.
- contains photos, appendices, and a comprehensive index.
- is the perfect traveler's companion to this beautiful and scenic road.

Route 28: A Mile-by-Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route is the perfect tool to help you find Route 28's hidden treasures from one end to the other:

Kingston, Woodstock, Phoenicia, Pine Hill, Fleischmanns, Arkville, Margaretville, Andes, Delhi, Oneonta, Colliersville, Milford, Cooperstown, Richfield Springs, Mohawk, Herkimer, Newport, Barneveld, Remsen, Alder Creek, Thendara, Old Forge, Eagle Bay, Inlet, Raquette Lake, Blue Mountain Lake, Indian Lake, North River, North Creek, Warrensburg, and more.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rob Scharpf was born in Kingston and lived in the Kingston and Woodstock area for nearly half a century, during which time he often traveled Route 28 in pursuit of hiking, skiing, camping, canoeing, and fishing. After a 30-year career with a major computer manufacturer, he and his dog Rip departed Kingston aboard Rob's sailboat Uncle Wiggily, bound for Florida. Upon reaching Florida unscathed, Rob spent more than two years researching and writing this guide to his favorite road so other people can share the enjoyment and adventure of Route 28. When asked why he wrote about route 28, Scharpf replied, "It's an exciting road. It leads to mountains and valleys, lakes and streams, cities and villages, and a cornucopia of activities, attractions, and adventure. It's like no other road in the world. Drive it and you'll see." Rob and Rip currently live in Melbourne, Florida.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Foreword Seagulls floated over the shoreline, silver rapiers of road glare pierced our eyes, and cars ahead of us shimmered in the heat as I drove my black car through the white-hot afternoon southward through Florida toward a beach destination. The air-conditioning compressor was sweating so my sweetheart Jodi and I wouldn't. Lunch was a memory, we still had many miles to go, and I was dreaming of an ice cream cone. How could we find one? The only advertising signs along the road were for restaurants and motels, not ice cream stands. Our maps showed us where the towns were, but nothing about what was in those towns, and certainly not the location of the nearest ice cream stand. Jodi had her cellular phone along, but after a short discussion we decided against calling 911 for help. We realized the only way we were going to find an ice cream stand was to hunt for one. Finally, after 30 minutes of criss-crossing a town in a military search pattern, success. I indulged in two scoops of black raspberry on a sugar cone, while Jodi, the sensible one, had a one-scoop cup of vanilla frozen yogurt.

As we searched for an ice cream stand, I thought how helpful it would be to have a travel guide which contained directions to everything a traveler could possibly want. Most travel guides present only the biggest and the best that a particular area has to offer, focusing specifically on lodging, restaurants, and attractions. And most travel guides describe only the attractions which are famous or nearly so. But how do you find an ice cream stand in an average town? Where is the beginning of the trail to the highest mountain in the Catskills? Where can you find, in a little mountain hamlet, a sub sandwich to take along on your hike? Where do you find the postcards your friends expect you to send? And where can you replenish your energy by dining on prime rib once you've returned from the mountaintop?

In my hometown of Kingston, New York, there begins a state road that I have loved all my life. It is a three-dimensional road, constantly turning left or right or going up or down, and many adventures line its route. It makes a large, open, 282-mile-long clockwise loop between Kingston and its junction with NY 9 just north of Warrensburg. Route 28 is the only road which goes through the middle of both the Catskill Park and the Adi-rondack Park, and as an added bonus, it goes through Cooperstown and crosses the Mohawk Valley. When I lived in Woodstock I used Route 28 to travel to and from work. I also used it to get away from it all, to travel to the mountains for hiking, fishing, skiing, and camping. For decades I had driven it only from Kingston to Andes, and through parts of the Adirondacks. I had always wondered what was beyond Andes, what lay to the west of Eighth Lake, and what it would be like to drive Route 28 from one end to the other. My desire for a comprehensive travel guide while searching for ice cream in Florida, and my decades-old interest in driving Route 28 in its entirety, led me to the idea that resulted in this book. Two years of work, several hundred interviews, and thousands of miles of driving later, you are reading these words. May they help you find the ice cream cone of your dreams and anything else you could ever want along New York's adventure route.

Savor the Charms

Route 28 is a 282-mile charm bracelet with Kingston at one end and Warrensburg at the other. Its forests, lakes, ponds, mountains, rivers, streams, views, vistas, ski centers, snowboard half pipes, skating ponds, bike paths, hiking trails, parking areas, horse corrals, fishing spots, hotels, motels, restaurants, shops, ice cream shops, water slides, scenic railroads, sightseeing boats, and so much more, are its charms. Of and by itself a charm bracelet is only a trinket to adorn a wrist. Its charms are special only when they are turned between the fingers, reflected upon, and memories shared with others. So it is with Route 28. On its surface, it is no different from other scenic roads, a pretty gold bracelet from here to there. But if you take the time to experience its charms along its full length, you'll remember it always.

Walk away from the main streets and onto the back streets and lanes where the architecture, construction, and manner of living are unique to the area and different from your own neighborhood.

Spend an hour at a local snack bar where the kids hang out.

Sit at the counter at a breakfast diner and rub elbows with the natives.

Engage your dinner waitress in conversation.

Dig through the local history books in a small-town library.

Talk to the librarian.

Peruse the shelves of a rural general store.

Play darts with the locals at a neighborhood watering hole.

Chat with the owner of your motel or bed and breakfast.

Ask the campsite ranger about local wildlife.

Watch the sunset over an Adirondack lake.

Hike into the forest and listen to the birds.

Climb a mountain and be awed by the view.

Product Details

• Paperback: 488 pages
• Publisher: North Country Books (August 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0966342607
• ISBN-13: 978-0966342604
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,428,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More than just a travel guide., July 4, 2000

By 

Paige Bucherschrank (Poughkeepsie, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Route 28: A Mile by Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route (Paperback)

I've never seen a travel guide like this one before. I came across it when I was looking for another book about New York State and bought it on impulse. Many travel guides are very selective about what they include -- biggest hotels, most expensive restaurants, etc. But this travel guide tells absolutely everything that is on Route 28 ! Each entry is short but the author is clever about sneaking in bits and pieces of inside information. I thought I knew what was in Kingston (NY) but I have been driving right by it's best kept secrets. I had to laugh at his description of another area I was familiar with as having "soft, lumpy hills" because that's precisely what they look like. This is just an incredible book if you want to take a theme trip -- all the sports museums or all the antique stores. I can see that I'm going to be putting a lot of milage on my car because of this book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for anyone who enjoys the winding route 28, January 16, 2004

By 

Michael (Rome) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Route 28: A Mile by Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route (Paperback)

I grew up just off route 28, just outside Kingston, NY. My dad owned a business that is listed in the opening sections of the book, too. Life existed around route 28. But it wasnt until I was able to drive and explore it, that I truly began to appreciate it. Its the best way to view the Catskills in that area. Today I live near the north-west portion of the route, and use it frequently in the summer to travel into the Adirondacks. This book provides an excellent guide to all the sights and sounds along the way through NY's two great mountain ranges.

5.0 out of 5 stars Route 28 Book Review, September 10, 2010

By 

peewee - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Route 28: A Mile by Mile Guide to New York's Adventure Route (Paperback)

My family is planning to travel Route 28 in its entirety so I was very happy to find this book. It gives restaurants, hotels, points of interest and great spots for amazing scenery along with a lot of other information. It will be interesting to see how much has changed in the 10 years since this was written. But I'm very happy with my purchase.