Proud of My Trash

There I was, at the town dump (or if you prefer, "transfer station") bringing the empty wine bottles from a long weekend of house guests to the recycling area.  I had about two cases of assorted varietals, purchased and consumed to pair with the menus I had planned and executed.  The wines were slightly above the ordinary, every day table wine I buy for myself - some were offered as house gifts by the visiting cityfolk, some were purchased at the Wine & Brew festival at Hunter Mountain in the GNC, but most were from local wine merchants in Kingston and Saugerties. Of the two cases, only two bottles would I call "special", that is, more than $30 a bottle - a French Chardonnay, to go with the chicken dish.

According to the protocol of the dump (it's "dump" to us locals), I was sorting the clear glass from the green glass on the table provided for the purpose, before tossing the bottles into the dumpster and hearing the satisfying crash of a wine bottle at the end of its useful life.  "Wine is Life" it is said by the clever guy who designs T-shirts. An empty wine bottle is a souvenir of a meal enjoyed with friends.

There he was, near the sorting table, hovering, dressed in ragged, smelly, dirty clothes.  He had broken fingernails, unkempt hair and to put it kindly, poor personal hygiene in all respects.  He seemed fascinated by the labels on the bottles as I put them on the table.  After two or three had made it into the dumpster, he began his commentary:

"Ah, a good year and a good vintage - you know your wines", he said as a Cab went into the dumpster.  "Ah, an excellent choice, particularly with duck, a strong taste that cuts through the fat on the palette" as a Pinot made the trip. "Ah, the aroma of this one - I remember it well - hints of pomegranate and citrus."  "Ah, how I loved this one - California, but a vineyard situated north to south rather than east to west as most are in the Simi Valley.  Very crisp, clean finish. No, no - I don't care for these Chilean Malbecs, vastly overrated."

I kept tossing, but at a slower pace, so he would have time to read the labels. His commentary on every bottle had been accurate so far, though I quibbled about the Malbecs.  "Perhaps" I said, "but it was only $15 for the bottle."  He waved my opinion away into the air of the GNC as if I were a sommnelier in training. He waited  for the next case of empties to reach the table.  He continued his critique with knowledge of extraordinary scope and depth until the last bottle, a sweet dessert wine from the local Windham winery.  "Haven't tasted this one," he said and he looked inside the bottle for dregs.  (None, I rinse the bottles to keep the mice out of them.)

The transfer station attendant punches a card for the fee.  I approached with my card and asked who was the man with the French accent and encyclopedia-like knowledge of wine.  "Dunno," said the attendant.  "He shows up occasionally and doesn't stay for long.  Most of the time, the wine doesn't interest him."

For the first time in my life, I was proud of my trash!

Start at Alpine Garden in Windham...

...proceed north for a short distance on Route 296.  Make a left onto Route 23 and drive a short distance to County Route 21,  Mitchell Hollow Road. Turn right and enjoy the scenery as Mitchell Hollow rolls up for two or three miles, past homesteads, horse farms, fields of wild flowers and abandoned shacks. Make a left onto County Route 10 and catch your breath, because you will become breathless over the next few miles.  County Route 10 skirts Mt. Pisgah State Forest,  then Ashland Pinnacle State Forest, then Huntersfield State Forest before it meanders down into Prattsville. Go slow the entire distance on Route 10 so as to appreciate all that is around you. Likely yours will be the only car, and thus you will be likely to surprise the contented critters along the road.

You'll drop into Prattsville, the western-most town in Greene County before you cross into Delaware County, where the GNC begins to undulate into more agricultural terrain.  Make a left onto Route 23.  You'll now be heading south then east, toward Ashland.  (Be careful -- just past Pratt's Rock Route 23 veers east; if you miss the turn, you'll be on Route 23A, heading toward Lexington.) Stay on Route 23 and continue in awe of the beauty of the GNC. Glance at Batavia Kill (on your right) a few times as you drive; there are small falls here and there, and on the left is a small, very old, one-room chapel, in case you want to get married or give thanks.

If you're hungry, there are a few places in Windham to stop for lunch or dinner, some with a view of Windham Mountain Ski Area, or you can continue through town (slowly - cops!), up cemetery hill (as the locals call it) and back to Route 296.  Make a right, and shortly you will be back where you started at Alpine Garden.  (There's no garden there -- it's all around you.)

You can cover this circuit by car in about an hour.  I did it on a bike and it was my quads that screamed at me to blog this.