[MENTION=465722]robertorolfo[/MENTION], where are you now? I'm in High Falls, near New Paltz.

The drivers here are excellent. Most of the roads have no shoulders whatsoever, and that sounds crazy, but it's not. It's clear enough that cyclists are supposed to be in the lane. If it's not clear enough, there are also signs with a picture of a bike and the words "IN LANE". I watch in my rearview mirror and ride in the middle of the lane much of the time. When a vehicle is close and it is safe, I move to the edge. I don't get a lot of expressions of annoyance, but I'm already a good communicator which explains my good interactions. The roads here are extremely quiet. But as you say, nothing is close. The food store I usually use is a little over two miles away but it involves 170 ft of vertical climbing with a lot of up and down. There is something that makes a lonely ride seem longer, too, at least for this city boy.