Upstater

Gnome Chomsky

As soon as you encounter a giant garden gnome at Kelder’s Farm, you know it’s not going to be business as usual. Indeed, the hamlet of Kerhonkson in Ulster County always seems to have something off the beaten path to offer, property-wise, and since it’s been so long since we’ve poked around, we thought we’d investigate for this week. Overall, we were not disappointed in what we found: A handful of luxury homes, a few places in the low $100,000, farmhouses, properties with some land underneath it, a little bit of everything. Alas, the green eco-dome is no longer on the market, but we did find a 140-square foot hunting cabin. More on that later in the week.

Kerhonkson is near the southwestern portion of Ulster County, right in the midst of the beautiful Shawangunk Mountains. The Rondout Creek runs parallel to Route 209, Kerhonkson’s main drag. While there’s not a lot going on in the center of the hamlet itself (unless you consider stopping by the post office an acceptable foray into socializing), you can hop on 209 and head west to Stone Ridge (15 minutes away), High Falls (17 minutes away), or Rosendale (20 minutes away). Or, head west and fully immerse yourself in the Catskill Mountains. Or, head south to the Minnewaska State Park. Or, just go to Skate Time 209 in the neighboring hamlet of Accord and get your roller disco on. Or, go play mini-golf at Kelder’s Farm (season start April 26, and don’t forget to hit up the pierogi lady before you leave). Or, keep it local and stop by the Outpost BBQ shack for a pulled pork sandwich. Kerhonkson might be rural, but it’s not far from stuff to do. And, for Ulster County, the home prices are decent, and the pickings are not too shabby.

Kerhonkson is about 30 minutes southwest of Kingston and a hair less than 2 hours from NYC. Go north to New Paltz and take a sharp left. You can’t miss it.

About Kandy Harris

Kandy is a writer and musician/music teacher living in Saugerties, NY.

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