By Paul Topping

Some of us have been lucky enough to visit New York City and perhaps Niagara. New York State, however, is as big as England and Wales combined, and I'm surprised how many non-Americans have not toured it before. Including me.

A group of four of us, called "the Bucket List", attempt as many trips as possible together both in and out of Sri Lanka. This time it is to drive around New York State for five days. It's just so green and pretty at this time of year.

What is amazing is not just the size but also the variety of landscapes and the natural beauty of the state.

We hire a beast of a vehicle to hold our luggage and provide us with some comfort. We add Fort Niagara and the Falls to our list. (See my previously published stories on both.) Niagara City, however, looks like a dump.

There are four thousand lakes in the state, and we travel through some amazing countryside. In winter, I guess, they have a lot of snow. In one town, we notice that many of the street lamp posts have posters attached showing local servicemen who have died in action. I am staggered by how many there are. They extend through the decades in which Americans have sent their people to fight and die around the world.

We set off to walk over the Hudson River. Sounds dodgy, or soggy? Well, it's an old railway bridge, some two kilometres high, built in 1889 in Poughkeepsie. The car park is a bit obscure, but the bridge, set so high up, is amazing. There is a manned lift, and within a few minutes we are on the bridge. The 360-degree views of the river and countryside are breathtaking. Watch out for the cyclists.

Along the bridge, you can place a plaque detailing and remembering lost loved ones. Some of those must have felt this was a special place. It's actually called the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park.

As most of my readers will know, I'm a Tapophile, someone who is interested in cemeteries and those buried there. We pass so many on this tour around New York State. My travel companions will not stop to check them out. Some are beautiful, manicured cemeteries with no walls around them. It's as though the dead are still living in the community.

On the road to Buffalo, we pass some Amish folks travelling along in horse-drawn buggies. We see many of their homesteads, some with stalls outside where they sell goods they have made. In some cases, they live without electricity. These quiet, private groups have some cornerstones to their lives: "simplicity, community, faith and separation from much of modern society".

There are considerable variations between Amish communities. Some Amish people came out of Germany over the last hundred years. Buffalo has quite a community of them.

Another area we visit is the site of the great Woodstock outdoor music event in 1969. It's many miles away from Woodstock, the initially planned venue, but they just kept the name for the event. Five hundred thousand people turned up to an event planned for 100,000 in 1969. Many came days beforehand and camped out for seven days. The crowd, the organisers and many of the artists were on a high.

Thirty-two acts performed, some in appalling conditions of wind, rain and mud. It was so bad that some musicians had to be flown in by helicopter. The line-up included Hendrix, The Who, Janis Joplin and a very young, unknown Joe Cocker singing "With a Little Help from My Friends". For some artists, this filmed event created a whole lot of superstars. Little-known Santana played, too. Hendrix played on the Monday, in front of the smallest crowd, but performed "The Star-Spangled Banner".

Limited food availability and insufficient toilets were two logistical issues. A great big melting pot!

This event was the forerunner of the big outdoor concerts we have today around the world.

The museum site is well organised and extremely detailed. You can watch the show in a theatre; we only spent fifteen minutes there.

There is a lot of information and many exhibits on the period, the political and music scene, flower power, and more. The massive shop has posters of all the artists, branded clothing and new memorabilia, including a fantastic range of T-shirts.

Wish I had been at this event. Two further Woodstock events took place but failed due to unrest/alcohol abuse.