I stopped for the night in Windham, NY, finding a small room at Albergo Allegria, a Select Registry bed and breakfast. It was a great deal for less than $100., considering free sodas, snacks and a full breakfast were all part of the bargain.

My arrival was late, without a reservation, as I'd anticipated stopping in Cooperstown, where lodging was essentially non-existent that night. Linda, the innkeeper at Albergo Auberge, welcomed me graciously and, once I settled in, sent me over to The Horton-Smith House for dinner. The food was good and I had envisioned the restaurant packed during the ski season. A sign stating "No Snow Boots" was posted on the door.

After a hearty meal of skirt steak, roasted potatos, salad, veggies and cornbread, I returned to the inn and curled up for the evening with reading material.

Breakfast at Albergo Allegria was a feast, served in a room filled with welcoming morning light, at beautifully set tables. A buffet of cranberry-orange muffins, fresh mango, strawberries, grapes, cantaloupe and watermelon, cereal, juice, coffee and a wide assortment of teas would have been enough to start the day, but that was followed with a choice of entrees, cooked to order - a choice of belgian waffle, frittata/open-faced omelette with mushrooms,cheese, onions and bread crumbs or a closed omelette with broccoli and brie. My choice was the frittata, which was out of this world delicious.

I was headed for Massachusetts and couldn't linger, but I left Alegro Allegria grateful for the impromptu stay that led to a cozy room for the night, an excellent dinner and a perfect breakfast to send me back out on the road.