Well gang, it's been a while since I've taken a road trip, but I've got one coming up this week, although it's a relatively short one, it should be kind of fun. Tomorrow I'm off to beautiful Potsdam NY, to do a CPO Class for SUNY Potsdam. I've done this for them in the past, and it's always one of those classes you both look forward to, and sort of dread. You look forward to it because it's a pretty good size class, which means there will be good energy in the room, and decent money for the gig. You dread it, because there's always at least a couple of people in the class who'd rather be covered with honey and chained to a fire ant ant hill. You know, the old 'my boss made me come' students, always such a fun group to try and work with. So, we'll have two fun filled days of jousting back and forth, trying to get through enough of the material so that most of them can pass the certification exam on Thursday. Normally I hope that they all pass, on this class, I'm REALLY hoping they all pass, 'cause if they don't, I'll have to go back up there to give them a re-test, and that's a trip I really don't want to have to make!
Potsdam is a funny sort of town, a bit different from the places I usually visit, in that it's nowhere near any of the major thruways/expressways. So you have to run up the Northway to exit 29, and then you snake your way westbound over some pretty sketchy state roads, meandering through pretty rural areas (and an Indian, oops, 'Native American' reservation), until you get to what is pretty much the middle of St. Lawrence County. It's a sleepy little town at this time of year, as the four colleges and universities which are located there are pretty much out for the summer. It's not a real 'tourist' town, so many of the shops and restaurants close up in the summer, and re-open in the fall, exactly the opposite of what you see in places like Watertown or Plattsburgh. 
Tommy had looked into going to college here, at Potsdam's Crane School of Music, and although it's a great school, I think he was happy that he ended up at Adelphi, for a few reasons, one of them being that there really isn't much to do up here during the school year; the weather isn't so great. 
I think you can get an idea of how this place can affect you if you look at the list of "Famous Residents" - probably the most famous is Wes Craven.  You know, the guy who did "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Scream"? I'd think that says a lot about growing up in Potsdam, that he didn't make films like "Mr. Fluffy and the Kitty Rescue Squad".
So, off to Potsdam I'll go, and I'll do my best to post a few notes from the road, and review some food, but I'm not too terribly hopeful, a quick look shows mostly run of the mill diner type places, a couple of local eye-talian joints, and the usual collection of fast food spots. I did see a couple of local sports bars, and a Mexican restaurant, so who knows, perhaps I'll find a jewel amongst the rocks.